Self-Publishing and the Personal Approach

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2009 book signing, CMN, with Karina Fabian

Because self-published authors don’t have a publishing company to help them promote their books, it’s important to take the initiative in marketing. Even authors who have publishers must often do their own marketing. Connecting with your fans on a personal level is a great way to market your book. This can be done through attending conferences as well as interacting with them through your blog, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and Pinterest.

Face-to-face interaction, however, is one of the most effective ways to market your book. If you have the budget, time and freedom to do so, I highly recommend attending conferences as a vendor and/or book seller. Readers and potential customers appreciate the opportunity to speak with an author and to have their books signed by the author herself.

For the first six years of my career as an author, most of my book sales occurred at live conferences I attended as a vendor. (Now, Kindle sales account for 90 percent of my writing income). I typically attend two or three conferences a year. I normally sell anywhere from 30 to 100 books per conference (depending on the length and attendance of the conference.) For example, I have attended the Journey to the Father Youth Conference as a vendor every summer since 2005. The JTTF attendees, workers and volunteers know me and, most importantly, there are many at this conference who will not only buy anything I write, they will buy multiple copies.

Another way to keep things personal in marketing is to consistently reply to fan mail, comments on your blog, on Facebook, Twitter and other social networking. This develops a rapport with your readers and you can also make a lot of good friends too!

Participating in Skype and teleconference calls with book clubs are also a wonderful ways to connect with readers. I’ve participated in several Skype calls with readers and book clubs.

One last — and very important — approach: With the Catholic Writers Conference Live fast approaching, please consider attending and networking with other Catholic writers. If your book has the Seal of Approval, you can register to do a book signing at the Trade Show (see photo above), be interviewed by CMN for their author book trailers and possibly be interviewed on EWTN’s Bookmark.

Remember: connecting with your readers can help to promote your books to those readers who will return time and again to purchase your books.

copyright 2013 Ellen Gable Hrkach

Unique Marketing Opportunity – The CWG Booth

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Every year at the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show, the Catholic Writers Guild organizes a booth which displays members’ books. Wholesalers, bookstore owners and other attendees can see, page through and even read excerpts of displayed books. This is a well-attended event so it presents a unique opportunity for CWG members.

It’s time again to gather books for the booth. You don’t need to attend the conference or trade show to have your book displayed. As you can see from the photo, it’s an extensive booth (usually taking up three to four booth spaces).

This year’s trade show (and simultaneous Catholic Writers Conference) is August 7-9, 2013 in Somerset, New Jersey. To take advantage of this great marketing opportunity, your book must be pre-approved!

We are representing the Guild and its mission, so books must be approved to ensure they conform to Catholic principles. The books do not need to be exclusively Catholic, but they do need to be free of any philosophies or elements that are contrary to Catholic beliefs. We also look for a minimum standard of quality of writing. Because we have so many members and because we anticipate a high number of requests, we have a few rules. Please read them carefully, as we will not be making exceptions:

1. If your book has been approved for the booth in 2011 or 2012, it is still approved for this year. (We probably still have the copy you sent us, plus any ordering information.)
2. If your book has been rejected in the past, it will not be considered again unless there have been significant rewrites.
3. If your book has the Seal of Approval or an Imprimatur, it is automatically approved for the booth.
4. If your book has not been approved, you can either submit it to the SOA committee (link above) or submit it for screening by July 1, 2013.
5. Books scheduled to be published after July 1st can be submitted digitally before this date (if approved, a hard copy must be made available for display).

If you are able to attend the conference, there are additional opportunities to take part in author signings and readings at the booth.

For more information, please contact me – (Ellen Gable Hrkach, President and Booth Coordinator) at ellengablehrkach(at)gmail.com.

Balance in Fiction Writing

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Balance.

A few days ago, Ellen Gable Hrkach posted a great blog on common errors to avoid in writing fiction. One item she mentioned got me to thinking, namely too much dialogue.

What’s ‘too much’?

A lot of times that depends on the genre you’re writing. Clearly, screenplays and graphic novels rely almost exclusively on dialogue.

Novels, however, require a blend of narrative, description, introspection and dialogue. The ratio of one to the other changes with both prevailing ‘style’ and with genre. Novels written a century ago utilize long passages of description and flowery stretches of dialogue, whereas the trend today is for faster, tighter construction in all areas, especially dialogue.

How do you know if your manuscript has a good balance? Part of this comes down to voice, that elusive factor that makes your work yours. However, we’ve all had the experience of reading a book and finding ourselves skipping over passages, maybe even pages. If we skip too much, we’ll put the book down – and if that happens, we may never pick it up again.

Not good, if you’re the author.

Next time this happens, stop and analyze why you lost interest. Chances are there was too much of one element on the page. Too much description. Too much internal monologue, or perhaps too much narrative. Sometimes too much dialogue, but if that’s problematic, it’s more likely because the ‘voices’ of the characters are too similar. They need to be so distinctive that the reader knows who is speaking. Even so, if they go on for pages, the reader may tire. (For more on dialogue, click here.)

One helpful technique is to analyze your manuscript for the different elements and highlight the pages. Margie Lawson teaches a method for this in her Deep Editing classes. Choose different colors for narrative, description, emotion, dialogue, and internal thought, etc., then go to town with your highlighters (or crayons, or whatever your inner child wants to play with!). If one color dominates a page, revision might be in order. One of my critique partners occasionally says of my work, “This section has too much yellow.” Since we’ve both taken Lawson’s class, I immediately understand what the problem is. My work flows better if the page has a rainbow of colors. Another application of this technique is to apply your highlighters to one (or more) of your favorite published books.

Keep in mind there is no ‘one size fits all’ in fiction. Thank God! Otherwise, reading would get boring! Check out a wide variety of books to see how other authors manipulate the elements that create story.

For instance, action novels such as Lee Child’s Reacher series use lots of dialogue, but it’s nearly all less than one line long. Child also uses relatively long stretches of description/narrative, and he tends to go with one or the other at any given point. His books are effective, powerful, and popular.

Debbie Macomber takes a more blended approach in her wildly successful women’s fiction and romance novels. You will find narrative, description, introspection and dialogue on nearly every page.

Many authors are exploring screenwriting classes, some for the challenge of breaking into a new field, but most for a better understanding of both story structure and use of dialogue. While this is an excellent strategy for honing of specific elements, written fiction is more effective and more engaging when the entire spectrum of tools are used to create the final product.

The subject of balance also touches on pacing, which is a topic deserving of its own post. Narrative, description, and interior monologue can slow the pace—although skillfully applied, they can ratchet up the tension until it is unbearable. Dialogue tends to speed things up.

As you can see, there isn’t a cut-and-dried answer to ‘how much is too much’. But a willingness to analyze and evaluate your writing will always make it stronger. Look at your work with an eye toward what you want to accomplish in a given scene. Learn to use all the tools in your toolbox. Buy books on the craft of writing. Review them once in a while. Take classes. Be open to feedback from trusted colleagues, and then decide how (or if) you will apply their advice.

Find the best balance for your story and your voice.

Have you struggled with this aspect of writing? Do you have tips to share? Please do!

Great Opportunities for Members, But We Need Your Help!

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CWG members–we have some exciting programs that can only take off if we get volunteers.  Please check these out, pray on them, and contact Karina at coordinator(at)catholicwritersguild.com

give me

 

First, ZENIT has asked the Guild for contributors.  While this is a no-pay, it has a huge Catholic audience.  We are speaking with them now about requirements, but in the meantime, we need someone who will coordinate contributors and liaise with ZENIT staff.  We need someone who will be consistent and dedicated.  It probably won’t take more than an hour a week, not counting time for writing your own articles.

Second, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis has asked about CWG developing some school programs.  If you write for kids through high school, this could be an awesome op for you–and if it works out, we can take it nationally!  Again, we’re talking to the principals to find out their needs, but in the meantime, we need someone to coordinate.  This will require some work at the forefront, but in time, it should start moving pretty automatically.

Want CWG stuff?  We’re looking at starting a CafePress or Zazzle store, but we need someone to run it—basically checking on it now and again, adding stuff, etc.  After the initial set-up, it won’t take much time at all, maybe an hour a month, tops, but this could be a great money-making opportunity for us–plus it’s a chance for us all to get CWG stuff!

We’re very sorry to say that our news coordinator, Annette Tenny needs to bow out because of health issues.  Please pray for her!  In the meantime, please welcome Karl Erickson, who is stepping up to fill this role.  Thanks, Karl.

 

Query Letters – How to write a good one

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You’ve just typed The End on your manuscript, your gloriously awesome book that’s going to rocket to the top of the New York Times best seller list! Editors are going to line up at your door, fighting to be the one privileged enough to publish your work. Thousands of people will stand in line for your signature at book signings, and you’d better clear your schedule for the television talk show circuit. Oh, and make sure your bank account is big enough to hold all the moolah that the USPS is going to deliver to your door. You are on your way, baby!

Except…no one is knocking. In fact, no one is even lurking in the shrubbery. And when it comes down to details, you’re not entirely sure how to get the attention of those New York editors, or even agents. You’ve been talking up your project to all your relatives, your friends, even your acquaintances. You’ve let a select few read your work (you deserve to be paid for it, after all!), and they rave about it! Why, it’s better than (fill in the blank with your favorite—and very rich—author)!

What to do???

This is what: set up a systematic, professional plan for querying.

It’s going to require hard work, persistence, and a thick skin to sell your work. If you do this part right, you’ll have a much better chance of actually getting published. And if your work rises above the fray, you may make it to that rarefied atmosphere of best seller-dom. If you do it wrong, you’ll get nowhere in traditional publishing.

A query letter, whether submitted via email or hard copy, is a one-page business letter with a fairly standard format. It is brief, professional in tone, and your only chance to connect with some agents or editors. Let’s look at the elements of the letter, and some common pitfalls to avoid, as well:

Research your targeted agent/editor. Make sure s/he is interested in the type of project you are pitching. Don’t send your speculative fiction to an agent who represents cookbooks and memoirs. Make sure they are accepting new clients. Then, send an individually addressed letter to the specific person—and spell their name right. The advent of email queries has tempted too many authors to try the ‘Dear Sir or Madam’, multiple-recipient approach. Sound like spam to you? It does to the recipients, and most delete without reading. I can’t stress these items strongly enough. I follow several agents on Twitter, and the biggest reasons for not reading past the first paragraph of the query letter are included in this list.

Cutesy doesn’t work. Use white paper if submitting via hard copy, or no background wallpaper on your email submission. Use standard fonts and font sizes. Times New Roman 12 works well; beautiful flowing script fonts don’t. Remember, this is business—on your end and on theirs.

Pitch finished projects. Keep in mind agents get thousands of queries a month. An unfinished manuscript isn’t competitive.

Only include personal information as it relates to your project. Your family, hobbies, other career, etc., are not fodder for this letter. If your story has strong elements that include fighter pilots or dulcimer players, and you are a fighter pilot or a dulcimer player, then include that; otherwise, as fascinating as your background is, it’s irrelevant. Also, resist the urge to say that your mother (or best friend, or spouse, etc.) thinks yours is the best book ever. Let the agent or editor be the judge.

Do include any writing credits. I’ve had interesting responses with this. At a pitch session for book length fiction, I sat with one editor who literally wadded up my nonfiction writing credits and threw them away. Clearly, he was unimpressed. However, the next editor was quite taken with the same information and spent time exploring it. Those credits lifted my submission above the standard in her mind. Bottom line: it doesn’t hurt to include writing credits. At the very least, it demonstrates that another editor somewhere thinks your work is worth publishing, and that you have experience with the editorial process. Always list membership in writing organizations and contest wins or placements. Again, some agents/editors value this more than others. But if you don’t toot your own horn, they’ll never know.

Keep it professional and polite. A query letter is a great place for confidence, but not such a good place for an overinflated ego. If you have a critique group, run your query letter past them. Sometimes they can see an area you need to emphasize more, or can suggest better wording. As an aside, one of my critique partners discovered she was pitching the wrong aspect of her story. Once she corrected that, her queries began getting responses.

So the basic format is:

Dear Ms. Specific Name Spelled Correctly,

I am seeking representation for my completed, xxx-thousand computer word count (name of genre) manuscript, Best Book Since War and Peace, set in (time, place). (If the story has a theme that is unique, you may wish to include it here.)

The next two paragraphs are like the back cover blurb would be for the book. Generally, one paragraph for the main character, the second for the other lead. Go to the bookstore (or your private library) for examples. Your goal here is to give a solid sense of the plot, a taste of your voice, but not a synopsis with lots of details or the resolution of the story.

The fourth paragraph will list your writing credits.

Close with a polite ‘I hope to hear from you soon’ and make sure to include your contact information.

Keep a spreadsheet or record of your queries. Make notes; don’t be afraid to follow up after a reasonable time (usually listed on the website), but don’t stalk. The publishing community is a small one; take care to develop your reputation as one of consummate professionalism. Divas and stalkers have no place in the business.

Query. A lot. Set aside time, set a specific goal, and keep the queries flowing. Follow the submission guidelines on the websites; they differ. Evaluate your responses and adjust future queries accordingly. But keep at it. And continue to work on improving your craft. If you’ve significantly revised and improved a project, don’t be afraid to re-query. Agents and editors really are looking for great stuff to publish. Give your work its best chance to catch their eye.

There are lots of sites and books out there that are great resources. Check with your writing organization for reputable agents, and make sure agents you query are members of the Association of Author’s Representatives. *No legitimate agent will ever charge a fee for reading your work.

What have your experiences with querying been like? Any advice? Questions? I hope this post helps rocket your work to the status of ‘sold and published’ – and best seller-dom!

 

 

 

 

Ms. Manners Goes to Conference! Conference Etiquette for a Better Experience

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Headed for Catholic Writers Conference? Are you excited? You should be! What an opportunity to rub shoulders with industry professionals, to put faces and personalities to folks you’ve met online, to renew friendships, and to network. This is a once in a lifetime experience; make the most of it. There will never be another gathering of exactly the same people at this point in their faith and writing journeys. Truly you are in Arlington, Texas, because God has called you to be there!

Each of you has a specific reason for attending, a goal you hope to accomplish. If this is your first conference experience, the coming days are likely to be a roller coaster of euphoria juxtaposed with self doubt. Be assured that you are not the only one grappling with these feelings. I hope this knowledge translates into a greater sense of ease in a new and sometimes intimidating environment. Here are some words of advice (of wisdom, too, hopefully!) for both newbies and veterans, for authors, for agents, and for editors, geared toward making this conference the best it can be for everyone:

1)      Everyone’s goals are the same, ultimately. Editors want to find the next diamond of a manuscript to publish. Agents want to discover the next author whose career they can guide to new heights. Authors want to find a publisher and/or agent to promote their awesome work. And in this particular setting, all of these people want to serve God with their talents and gifts in the way that pleases Him the most.

When viewed through that prism, competition loses the edge of greed and rejection loses its sting. We’re all on the same side, and God’s looking out for the good of each person’s life and career. This doesn’t mean you should fail to promote your product, just that there is no need for fear.  Which brings us to the next point.

2)     Be confident. You have something no one else does: your voice, and your work. These are gifts that God has given you, gifts that you have honed with hard work and prayer. No one can duplicate your contribution. Take heart in that fact, and know that your work will find its home. Maybe through this conference; maybe not – which leads to…

3)      Don’t take rejection personally. Sometimes it just isn’t a good fit for the publisher or agent. Imagine a library with thousands of books. You have three days to find the best two. You will have to create a system to sort and discard the ones that aren’t suitable for your purpose. Do you see that many wonderful, deserving books will be overlooked? This does not reflect on the worthiness of each one, the same way it does not reflect on your particular project. And in today’s climate, many options are available. So…

4)      Be open. There are many possibilities that we may not recognize in our limited, human view. Be open to new ideas, new directions, new options. You may discover a brand new path, or even a calling! You may discover it through…

5)      Networking. This is the whole purpose of a conference. Meet people! Ask them what they write, who they want to represent, what they want to publish. Have a brief answer for these questions, too, so you can give a nutshell sense of your project when it comes up. (I write ___, and my current project is about ___.)

This is a remarkably small community, and the contacts you make in the next few days will serve you for your entire career. Do not discount the importance of these interactions. They are crucial for your success. But remember…

6)      Be nice. This should go without saying, especially in this setting, but we are human and sometimes we need to be reminded. Keep your comments positive; you never know who might overhear or repeat something you said in a frustrated or disappointed moment. Again, this is a remarkably small community even though it may not seem that way.

Also, restrict your interactions to appropriate venues. Don’t try to pitch to an agent or publisher in the restroom, or shove your manuscript under the door of the stall. I have witnessed the first and have heard of the second, so these are not as far-fetched as they seem. Be considerate of folks. If the target of your interest has a headache or gets a pained look on their face when you approach, be brief. Introduce yourself and say you’d like to send them a query if that is acceptable; believe me, they will remember and appreciate your kindness. And that goes a long way. Which leads to the last point…

7)      Be yourself. This may call for leaving your comfort zone, though. If you tend to be shy (many writers are!) push yourself to be more sociable. It’s not hard; smile and ask people around you about themselves. You’ll be glad you did. If you are an extrovert, recognize your tendency to overshadow the more timid among us and let them shine, too.

I hope each one of you has a wonderful experience at the Catholic Writers Conference! And… Oops! I forgot the most important words of advice! HAVE FUN!

 

 

 

 

 

Art and Faith, as They Intersect in Writing

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We recently observed the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Fortnight of Freedom, and this might be a good time to look at writing as an expression of our journey and expression of faith.

Regular readers of this blog are most likely members of Catholic Writers Guild – which means we are Catholic, and we love to write. For many of us, these two passions intersect in what we write, as in blogs, articles, or books about being Catholic in today’s world. In nonfiction, this is straightforward. The audience and purpose of such works provide a framework for sharing both the writer’s journey and/or expression of a specific aspect of faith.

Fiction, my personal love, can be a bit trickier. How does an author express their faith within the conventions of their chosen genre? We’ve all read books where it’s done poorly, usually resulting in a preachy tone as grating as fingernails on chalkboard. I’m reminded of Barbara Nicolosi’s comment from the 2012 Catholic Writers Conference Online: My theory is that the secular world is not anti-Catholic as much as it is anti-bad art.

When viewed through that lens, our priority as writers or artists is to learn and hone our craft. It doesn’t matter how important our message is if it is badly executed. Read books on the craft of writing. Take classes. Ask for feedback – and listen to it. The most successful writers recognize that they need to continually strive to improve.

We also have a responsibility to learn and understand our religion. I’m preaching to the choir here, but there is always something deeper, more sublime, more elemental to discover about the challenges (and rewards) of being Catholic. We have to be well-catechized in order to articulate what we need or want to convey in written format.

The great news is, that in fiction, who you are will come out in your writing, even if you don’t spell out your beliefs in the imaginary world inhabited by your characters. Think of St. Francis of Assisi. Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words. Well, we can’t write without words, but we can write great fiction without being overbearing about our faith. Readers will accept just about anything in a character, as long as the character is authentic, has depth and complexity, and is true to his or her motivations, flaws and all.

We’ve all read stories where the characters act in ways that make us cringe or gasp or squirm, but we keep reading because the author has done such a good job.  We are eager to accompany the character on his or her journey. That’s our calling. To write so well that readers are willing to follow a character they don’t necessarily agree with because they want to better understand them.

I suspect most of CWG’s members pray before they write (or draw or make music or however we choose to create) and that’s where we all need to begin. Pray. Discern. Perhaps education or beauty is more important than exhortation. Keep in mind that your readers will not be in the same place you are on their spiritual journey – and we are all on a spiritual journey, whether we realize it or not. On a personal level, God has touched me through works of fiction in which I least expected to hear His voice. Never underestimate what He can (and will) do through us, whether or not we are aware.

Take courage, pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and use the gift of talent with which God has graced you. Create art that illuminates a vision of God. None of us can see God, but we can express our experience, and the light we reflect may aid a fellow traveler in life.

Now. Words matter. Go forth, write and create, and bear fruit in a world that hungers for it.

How do you approach your craft in a way that changes our world? How does faith inform your art? Do you think of those concepts as you toil over the keyboard, searching for just the right word to express the idea in your mind’s eye? What gives you joy as you create?

New Evangelizers Blog Seeking Catholic Bloggers

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I’m writing today to ask you if you might be interested in writing for the New Evangelizers blog.

We’re trying to put together a team of writers/bloggers to write about the New Evangelization and build up both the content and the audience at New Evangelizers. Our goal is to have someone writing

In the event that you are interested, I’m including the guidelines below.

Please pray about it and let me know if you might be interested in it. Please feel free to share this information with anyone who you know who might be interested, to share it on your blogs and social networks, and to send anyone who’s interested my way.

That said, here’s the caveat: I’m offline next week due to family travel. (Smile, wouldja? It’s likely to be a hilarious picture.) So if you don’t hear back from me in a timely manner, know that I will do my best when I return (and maybe even from my iPad while I’m hiding in a bathroom in a rest stop somewhere, but you DID NOT hear that from me).

Many blessings and thanks!

New Evangelizers Blog Writers Guidelines:

Thank you for being willing to be part of the New Evanglizers blog writing team! We ask that you keep your writing 100% in line with the teachings of the Church. Unfortunately, we aren’t able to pay for submissions, but will be happy to work with you to promote your work and writing projects.

Items we need to get started:

1.  Your first two column submissions sent to Sarah Reinhard at [email protected] – you can send them as Word docs or within the body of an email. Please include “New Evangelizers submissions” in the subject line. If you have images, please attach those separately (not in the body of the doc).

Column/post guidelines:

  • Word count of less than 2000 words. The average blog post is around 500 words, but can be shorter (Sarah has been averaging 300 words with her weekly posts).
  • Feel free to be personable, but please only write things that somehow tie into New Evangelization and specifically with ideas of how to Know Your Faith, Live Your Faith, and Share Your Faith (which is the motto of New Evangelizers).
  • Your writings may also tie into any of the other missions of New Evangelizers (Rosary Army, Total Consecration, Promote Catholicism, That Catholic Show, The Catholics Next Door), but with an emphasis on how those things tie into New Evangelization (for example, Rosary Army and Total Consecration help people develop better spirituality (Know and Live Your Faith), etc.
  • Please note, you must have full permissions to use any images you want attached to your entries.  These can be royalty-free photos or your own originals, but you need to procure permissions for images that will be included with your blog entry.

2.  A digital author photo

3.  A brief bio paragraph – this will appear at the bottom of your columns, so please include any links, projects you would like to promote, etc.

4.  Your scheduling preference: weekly, biweekly, or monthly. When you give me your submission schedule preference, I will assign you dates on our publication calendar and notify you of your schedule. We ask that you submit your contribution the week prior to your scheduled run date or notify me that you will be unable to submit by that deadline. This helps me with planning and balancing content on the website.

5.  Contact information, including your mailing address and a telephone number.  This will remain confidential and is for internal New Evangelizers purposes only.

6. Facebook Page – We are working on getting our Facebook page active. Please go to https://www.facebook.com/NewEvangelizers and “like” the page so that you can be tagged and mentioned in posts on the Facebook page.

Submission Guidelines & Procedures:

Send your New Evangelizers submissions 1 week prior to your scheduled run date to Sarah Reinhard with “New Evangelization submission” in your subject line.

If you can’t make your scheduled slot, please notify us. This helps with planning and balancing content on the website.

Please let us know if you have any additional questions – we look forward to getting to know you and sharing your writing!

Using My Blog to Promote My Book

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Now that I have a few books under my belt, I can speak from experience about using my blog to promote my book.

At least, I think I can.

Before you read on, here are a couple of possible caveats:

  1. I have an existing audience. I’ve been blogging since May 2006. The people who read my blog and are my fans have been around for a while. They know me. Other people in the blogosphere know me. This making friends has taken time and commitment.
  2. I have a traditional publisher. I think my ideas would work for self-published works, but I can’t say for sure.
  3. I write nonfiction. Those of you who write fiction have my eyes, but I know your marketing work is far harder than mine.

My first feature-length book, Catholic Family Fun: A Guide for the Adventurous, Overwhelmed, Creative, or Clueless is fresh out on the streets.

The publisher, Pauline Books & Media, has a whole arsenal of marketing tools they use. They have actual brick-and-mortar stores, an online store, and promotional material sent to Catholic retailers and a large email distribution list.

I’m using my online presence to help build on what they are already doing. Here’s how I have been using my blog to promote my book.

Build excitement.

I’ve been sharing my book-writing journey on my blog from the beginning. When I first saw the cover art, I couldn’t help but gush to the world.

And then, when I heard that the book was at the publishing house, I asked them to send me a picture of it so I could share it on my blog. When I got my copies, I promptly took a picture of my girls with the book.

Having a book released is exciting, but it can be a lot of work. The work can be a burden that makes us forget the excitement.

People want excitement! They want to cheer for you! We all want to have fun!

So even if you feel like you’re lying, share the excitement!

Share the love.

I’m doing a book tour on a variety of different blogs. I invited people to participate, if they wanted, through a personal email. I also offered it to readers who were interested.

Though not many took me up on it, it was a chance to give some small bloggers a hook into the tour.

I’m also making sure I tell people what’s going on, when, and how. On the one hand, I feel like maybe I’m giving out too much information. On the other hand, the communications major in me wants to make sure that people who are interested have a way to find out what they want to know.

I’m also planning to liberally link to and cross-promote people who mention and promote my book.

Giveaways are another way to share the love. I am hoping that this generosity plants seeds in the buying sector. I’m promoting the giveaways through my blog and networks.

Ask for support.

This is, without a doubt, the hardest thing for me to do. Asking for support–whether it’s for prayers or for people to buy my book–does not come naturally to me.

When Welcome Baby Jesus was new, I gave people five reasons to buy it.

I’ve also asked people for their ideas…and I plan to keep doing this. What ideas work for them as it relates to the topic of my book? With Catholic Family Fun, that means asking people what they do for fun. It also means acknowledging that I’m not perfect (which has gotten easier to do with time), because I don’t have all the answers.

YOUR TURN:

How do you use your blog or online presence to promote your book(s)?

Seal of Approval Now Accepting Submissions

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We’ll be accepting submissions for the Seal of Approval from April 1-30.

If you meet the qualifications below, consider applying now!

Purpose

The purpose of the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval is to help Catholic bookstores and venues in their determination of the Catholicity of a work. This reassurance from a professional organization can assist authors in marketing and promoting their works.

Our Process

Submission and awarding periods as follows:

  • Accepting submissions January 1-31, awarding by March 31
  • Accepting submissions April 1-30, awarding by June 30
  • Accepting submissions July 1-31, awarding by September 30
  • Accepting submissions September 1-30, awarding by November 30

Requirements

For a book to be considered for the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval:

  • Book is published OR will be self-published OR book is under contract with a publisher
  • Author must be Catholic
  • Book is Catholic in nature (for fiction, this means Catholic themes and characters)
  • Book does not contradict nor disparage Catholic teaching
  • Book does not speak disparagingly of an accepted Catholic practice (such as Novus Ordo Mass or Tridentine Mass) nor give the impression that only a particular Catholic practice is the right way to salvation.
  • Book does not support heresies or New Age philosophies

One of the concerns we face as an organization is the quality of the work we stand behind. While we do reject titles when we have concerns with poor editing, there is now the opportunity for one resubmission with proof of professional editing.

We may request up to five hard copies and/or electronic copies for our evaluators.

The Seal of Approval application is here. If you are a Catholic Writers Guild member, you may apply free of charge. If you are not a Guild member, there is a processing charge.

We also need volunteer evaluators!

To be an evaluator, you have to be a member in good standing with the Catholic Writers Guild. To evaluate a book, you read the title you sign up to read and complete the evaluation form. We ask that you have some background in the Catholic faith and that you are willing to look up things that may be questionable.

All evaluations must be true and faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church.

What we evaluate:

  • Is the work libelous or slanderous?
  • Does the work seek to foster hatred or conflict among individuals or groups, including racism, religious fanaticism, or anarchy?
  • Does this work contain obscenity or promote anti-Catholic views of modesty, decency in language, actions, or basic morality?
  • Does this work contain pornography?
  • Does this work promote pre-marital, extra-marital, or other non-marital sexual relationships?
  • Does this work lack respect for the reasonable privacy of others?
  • Does this work degrade the dignity of the person, including the promotion of euthanasia, abortion, homosexual actions or unions, child labor, or prostitution?
  • Does this work promote the worship of false gods?
  • Does this work attempt to draw others away from the orthodox teachings of the universal Catholic Church?
  • Does this work use others’ proposals or ideas without credit or permission?
  • Does this work present others’ work as the author’s own original ideas?
  • Does this work violate any known laws?
  • Does the author of this work belong to an association(s) or participate in activities that may compromise integrity, damage credibility, or cause scandal in the Guild’s sole determination that you are aware of? Examples include freemasonry, Catholics for a Free Choice, NAMBLA, a history of works opposed to the Guild’s values or ethics, excommunication, etc. For example, these may be stated on the book jacket or may be from your prior knowledge of the author.
  • Is this work so badly written or edited that granting the Seal of Approval would harm the reputation of the Catholic Writers Guild as a writers organization?
  • Can you see this book in your local Catholic bookstore?

We have a “theological experts team” that is on-hand to answer any issues we have with doctrinal issues.

If you’re interested, email us at SOA -a-t- catholicwritersguild.com

Meet the committee:

  • Sarah Reinhard, Fearless Chair (or Big Boss Lady, depending on the day)
  • Carol Ann Chybowski, Submissions and Evaluator Coordinator
  • Mary Gildersleeve, Awarding Coordinator

If you’re interested in learning more about the Seal of Approval, email us at SOA -at- catholicwritersguild.com.

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Catholic Writers Guild
P.O. Box 77
Eaton, IN 47338

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