Self-Publishing – Page 2 – Catholic Writers Guild

Dismantling Writer’s Block

May 28, 2013/16 Comments/in Blogging, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Editing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Inspirational, Self-Publishing, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

Writer’s block.

I don’t believe in it.

Okay, I’ll hedge that a bit.

All writers have moments when the words don’t come, or they have to be pried out of our brains like candy out of a three-year-old’s grasp. I do acknowledge that fact. Those moments are not fun.

Those moments are always uncomfortable, even anxiety-provoking.

“Writer’s block” is a great excuse when you need one.

But I’ve learned that when I run up against the dreaded blank-page-combined-with-blank-brain syndrome, rather than “try harder,” I need to dig deeper.

For me, writer’s block is a symptom, not a disease. It almost always shows up when something else is wrong.

I’ve run up against it twice in the past couple of weeks. The first time, I was working on revisions to a book length manuscript. The rut began to form when I tried to revise in accordance with a critique partner’s suggestions. Mind you, there was nothing at all wrong with her suggestions; I understood and agreed with them. And yet the more I tried to comply, the deeper the rut became, until I was stuck.

When I finally stepped back and reevaluated, I decided to trust my own instincts and disregard the advice. The floodgates opened. Ta-da! No more writer’s block.

The other instance was when I was trying to write a post for a guest blog appearance. I got so tied up in how awesome all the other guest-bloggers were (and how hard it was going to be to compete with them) that I couldn’t think of a subject to write about. Fear of the unknown kept my fingers off the keyboard, with that blasted cursor mocking me.

And then I recognized what I put in parentheses in that paragraph.

I know better than that! At a simple decent-human-being level, or at the level of maturity befitting the color of my hair, I know better than to compare myself to others. And at the level it matters most, as a Catholic Christian believer, I know that we are all given the exact gifts God wants us to have. I can entertain exactly zero envy over the other bloggers’ humorous or clever or passionate posts. Once that flash of insight came, I was able to write.

Here are some of the tools for dealing with writer’s block I’ve discovered over the years, none of them my own, by the way. I credit the many authors who traveled ahead of me with these ideas!

1. Give yourself permission to write badly – and then write. The words you tap out on your computer are not etched in stone. You can delete what doesn’t work later, so just start putting words on paper, so to speak. I’ve often started out with “I have no idea what to write next, but I have a sense that such-and-such character might do/say this, or that plot idea might happen.” Within a few sentences, it usually morphs into something I can work with. The unanticipated gift of this method is that I often discover a gem that livens up the story.

2. Get out of your own way. Figure out what’s wrong. If there are underlying issues, acknowledge and face them. If fear has you paralyzed, stare it in the face and then stomp over it. We are all insecure. We all fear failure, success, taking a risk, criticism, making a commitment. Deal with what ails you, and then write anyway. If there’s something wrong with the manuscript, try writing the scene from a different character’s perspective or go a different direction for a while.

3. Change your scenery. Get up and walk away from the computer. (I can’t tell you how many times a solution came to me as soon as I shut down the laptop and stood up!) Even better, go outside. Smell the flowers. Let the sunshine warm your face. Listen to the raindrops on the street, the leaves, the roof. Go to a museum, or a movie. Go to the zoo and watch people watching animals. Go to the mall and make up outrageous stories about the people walking by.

4. Get physical. Go for a walk or a hike. Dance. Play a game of tennis or hopscotch or go for a bicycle ride. Anything to get the blood flowing in your muscles—and in your brain.

5. Write something else. Write a thank you note or an email or an honest-to-gosh real live, old-fashioned letter! Free write, or use a writing prompt. Write fiction if you’re stuck on a nonfiction piece, and vice versa. Interview your characters; ask them what they want you to know.

6. Do something creative with your hands. Draw or paint a picture. Do it with your non-dominant hand. Make a quilt square or embroider the beginning of a pillowcase design, if you like fabric arts. Cook something really yummy from scratch, and enjoy the aromas and textures along the way. Garden, whether it’s indoor or outdoor. Write something longhand. Try that with your non-dominant hand!

7. Engage with another human being. Hey, we’re writers. It’s a solitary activity. Sometimes we forget how much we need to connect with others. Take a break and play with a child. Talk with your spouse and make eye contact. Volunteer, officially, or just lend a helping hand. Go out for coffee with a friend, or invite another family over for dinner.

Rather than a curse, writer’s block can be a blessing. Listen to it. Let it tell you what you need to do, or not do.

Just don’t let it be an excuse to keep you from your passion.

How do you identify writer’s block? What strategies do you employ to get past it? What have you learned from it?

The “Whole Package” Novel

May 13, 2013/7 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Fiction, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

Are you currently writing a novel? If so, my previous post encourages you to read great books in order to be a better writer.

For me, as a novelist, my goal is to write novels that encompass the “whole package.” So what is the “whole package” in novel writing?

In my opinion, the best novels contain compelling “can’t put it down” unpredictable stories, brilliant character studies, believable dialogue and rich, variant language. The majority of contemporary books are not “whole package “ novels (although there are a few contemporary novels listed below).

Most novels tend to have one or two strengths but may be lacking in other areas. For example, Jodi Picoult’s books have brilliant character studies, narrative voices and crisp writing, but sometimes the stories are lacking. Mary Higgins Clark’s novels have great stories and a crisp writing style, but they’re usually formulaic.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is one of those rare hard-to-find “whole package” novels: (Repeat from a previous post: I own a hard copy but downloaded this on Kindle for 1.99). This has become my favorite book of all time. Mitchell only wrote one novel in her lifetime, but it is the quintessential novel, especially if you enjoy historical romance. This book has it all: excellent, crisp writing, compelling story, intricate, believable and brilliant character studies and, most importantly, it is NOT formulaic. I don’t mind reading formulaic novels, but it’s more enjoyable for me to read a novel with unpredictable stories. The movie is a fair representation of the book, although reading the book offers richer character studies.

Reading and studying “whole package” novels will help novelists improve their writing.

Here are a few other “Whole Package” Novels:

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (This was also made into a movie, but I highly recommend you read the novel first. The movie is a fair representation of the book and I enjoyed both immensely.)

A High and Hidden Place by Michele Claire Lucas. My review is here. Excellent story, characters, writing.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Many people don’t appreciate the rich, literary language of the early 19th century, but this is my favorite of Austen’s books. Austen’s books are rich in characterization, complex in storyline and her writing is exquisite. There are quite a few film adaptations; my personal favorite is this one with Keira Knightley.

One of Ours by Willa Cather (my review here)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Most students will read and study this book at some point in their education. I read it first, in high school, then read it a second time when one of my sons was studying it. Again, Harper Lee only wrote one novel in her career and it was an incredibly moving one with rich characters, excellent dialogue, compelling story.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien: (The movie remains fairly faithful to the novels). Rich characters, beautiful writing, compelling story and symbolism all make this a whole package novel.

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis: I read these books out loud years ago to my boys at night before they went to sleep. Highly recommend.

Do you have any favorite novels that encompass great storytelling, rich language, believable characters and unpredictable plot lines? Feel free to comment below!

Unique Marketing Opportunity – The CWG Booth

April 8, 2013/1 Comment/in Catholic Writers Conference Live, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Fiction, Marketing Your Work, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

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.

Narrative Voice, Characterization and Reading To Improve Writing

March 11, 2013/7 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Fiction, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

Novelists should always be willing (and eager) to improve their craft. Writing fiction is difficult and complex because of the many complicated aspects (narrative voice, writing style, imagery, plot lines, characterization, setting etc).

Whether you’re a bestselling author or an aspiring novelist, one of the best ways to improve your writing is by reading well-written novels. Read books and dissect them. Ask yourself, What makes this particular novel great? What makes it not-so-great?

William Faulkner once said, “Read, read, read. Read everything – trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write.”

Currently, I read at least 100 books a year, mostly novels. I enjoy immersing myself in a compelling story with believable, relatable characters, rich imagery. These are the types of novels I aspire to write.

I read at night before bed and often first thing in the morning. I read manuscripts that are submitted to my publishing company. I enjoy a variety of contemporary novels and often read a classic or two here and there.

When I was a newbie, my editor recommended I read several books, then asked me to figure out what each book’s strength was. The first novel on the list was a book entitled “Picture Perfect,” by Jodi Picoult. (Spoiler alert) It’s a novel about spousal abuse. Picoult brilliantly creates an abusive – yet sympathetic – husband. So much so that when the abusive husband is begging his wife to return, I said out loud, “Oh, give the poor guy another chance.” I eventually came to my senses, but I realized that it was the author’s brilliant characterizations that made me want the abused wife to return to her abuser.

The following list is recommended for helping with character studies and narrative voice. It is, by no means, definitive. There are literally thousands of great novels with excellent characterizations.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (I own a hard copy but downloaded this on Kindle for .99). This has remained my favorite book of all time and I read it every few years. Mitchell only wrote one novel but it is the quintessential novel, especially if you’re writing romance. This book has the whole package: excellent, crisp writing, compelling story, intricate, believable and brilliant character studies. (More on the “Whole Package” novel in my next post.)

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult: The winner of numerous awards, this novel is filled with brilliant character studies and narrative voices. The movie version was okay, but the book is much better (although like most of Picoult’s books, the ending is unexpected).

The Complete Stories by Flannery O’Conner: Just pick any of the short stories in this thick book and you’ll learn from O’Connor, who was a master of crisp, edgy writing and excellent characterizations.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh: A classic. Brilliant characterizations.

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather: (read my review here) Also a classic.

The Lottery (short story) by Shirley Jackson (available free online) Excellent character studies.

Jewel by Bret Lott: This novel’s strength is the main female protagonist’s believable, moving, well-developed character.

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway: This is my personal favorite of Hemingway’s novels. In this atypical war romance, I think the author’s strength is in the characterizations of the two main characters. I saw the movie with Rock Hudson and Jennifer Jones first, but the book captures their characters better than the movie. (Currently .99 on Kindle)

Do you have any favorite books or short stories that are strong in narrative voice and characterization? If so, please feel free to comment below.

Next month: The Whole Package and Reading Books that encompass great characters, unpredictable compelling stories AND rich, crisp writing.

Improving Your Fiction Manuscript: Common Errors To Avoid

February 11, 2013/13 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Fiction, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

A good novel begins with a great story, a compelling plot, interesting characters. But it doesn’t end there. A good novel also needs to be well written.

I’ve been editing other authors’ novels for two years and writing novels for ten years. What follows are the most common mistakes I see in fiction manuscripts and self-published novels. By finding and fixing these common errors, you can improve your manuscript before it gets to the editor.

1. Overuse of Adverbs
If you’re working on a manuscript right now, do a “find” or “search” for every word that ends with ly. Now remove half of them. Your manuscript is already better. Even without doing a search or find, read each sentence. Are there two adverbs in some sentences? Recent manuscripts I’ve read contain sentences with two or three adverbs.

2. Repetitive Wording
Just, so, very, some. It’s difficult for an author to see his/her own mistakes. Have someone else read through your manuscript to assist you with this. For me, I often can’t see that I often use the same word often in the same sentence (see what I mean?) Or…read your manuscript backwards. This helps to show you areas of repetitive wording and other common errors.

3. Show Don’t Tell
This is a big newbie mistake.

He was sad.
She was amazed.
The look on her face was happy.

Now go through your manuscript and pick out all the times an emotion is simply stated and not described. Instead of writing “He was sad,” try something like “his shoulders slumped” or “his eyes were etched in grief.” Instead of writing “She was amazed,” experiment with different descriptions. One of the most helpful resources I’ve found is The Emotion Thesaurus.

A seasoned reader can spot a badly written, amateur book a mile away and usually within the first two pages. And…it will be more interesting for your reader if you allow them to visualize what’s going on.

4. Too Much Interior Thought
When I presented the initial draft of my first novel to my editor, one of her biggest complaints was “too much interior thinking.” When a character’s italicized thoughts are on every page, twice a page, that’s too much. It’s almost as if the author is lazy and just wants to tell the reader exactly what the character is thinking. Interior thought is fine when used sparingly, but not several times a page. Describe how they’re feeling instead.

5. Comma Errors, Grammar Errors
A great book for helping fix comma errors is:Eats, Shoots and Leaves. As well, search on Amazon for good grammar books. There are many.

6. Exclamation Points!
First-time novelists tend to use too many exclamation points. Do a search and omit most of them (replacing them with descriptions of the tone or face).

7. Too Much Dialogue
My first novel, Emily’s Hope, is 60 percent dialogue and 40 percent narrative. As a beginner, I didn’t know any better. Quality novels tend to use dialogue to serve the narrative, not the other way around. Dialogue can also be a lazy way to show character development. Dialogue is important, but if it’s the mainstay of your book, write a screenplay instead.

8. Underestimating the Intelligence of the Reader (e.g. hitting the reader over the head)
Here’s an example: He was sad. He was depressed. It was hard for him because he seemed so sad. Okay, we get it. He’s sad. Once is enough…and even at that, it’s better to describe what he looks like and feels like.

9. Avoid Descriptive Clichés or Sayings
“She felt like a million bucks”
“Smoother than a baby’s bottom”
Well, you can think of many. Create your own descriptive metaphors and similes instead of using well-known cliches.

10. Point of View
Many first-time novelists tend to use omniscient point of view (POV), that is, in any given scene, the author shows what’s going on in everyone’s mind, even within the same paragraph. This is difficult to do well, even for the experienced, bestselling novelist. And…it can be confusing for the reader. If you want your readers to bond with the characters, try using third person (intimate) POV. For more information, check out my guest post for Savvy Authors.

Eliminating these common errors will improve your manuscript before it even gets to the editor.

Are you working on a fiction manuscript? Do you have any favorite writing books you’d like to share? Please feel free to comment below.

Image purchased from iStock.

Digital, Print or Both?

January 14, 2013/2 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Fiction, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

photo copyright Ellen Gable Hrkach

New self-publishers often ask the question: should I go digital, print or both?

Ten years ago when I was in the beginning stages of self-publishing my first book, I never considered offering my book digitally on a wide scale. Although I occasionally sent PDFs to reviewers, the digital revolution had not yet taken off. As well, I was concerned about e-book piracy (which will be a topic of a future post).

Fast forward seven years. On a whim, I decided to convert and upload my first two books to Kindle (at the time, there were no conversion programs…it took weeks of trial and error to figure out how to do it). However, this “whim” soon became the best publishing and financial decision I ever made.

For more on how my e-books became successful, check out my previous blog post.

If I were doing it today, I would probably do both. However, digital publishing is ideal to start with since there are no major printing costs to spend up front and you can reach millions of people within hours.

I still use a printing company (more on “print-on-demand” companies in a future post) for hard copy books, but I sell many more e-copies than print. Because of this success, my company is now publishing other authors’ books.

Here are some pointers I’ve come up with for publishing e-books:

Use Professional E-Conversion Companies (or learn how to do it professionally yourself)
Once you’ve uploaded your book to Kindle, use the previewer to determine whether it’s formatted properly…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve downloaded a book (some by established authors) that was not formatted correctly, like missing words, letters or words on different lines, which makes it difficult to read.

Editor
E-books still need editors. Check out my previous post about editors.

Cover Designer
I can usually tell a self-published book a mile away by the look of the cover. Please employ a professional. The cover design should be a normal cover size (and please, not a horizontal rectangle!)
Check out my previous post about covers.

Book Blurb
Must be well-written and short enough to pique your prospective readers’ interest, but not give them too much information.

Kindle KDP or Kindle, Nook, Kobo etc.
You must decide whether to go exclusively with Kindle KDP or have your book be available on other e-reader sites. The advantages of having your book exclusively on Kindle is that you can do free promotions (successful free promotions almost always bring a surge in actual sales following the free promotion). Your book also gets to be part of the KDP Library that Amazon Prime members can borrow for free. But that doesn’t mean you don’t get paid. A few months ago, for every borrow, I actually received MORE money than I did for each sale (2.20).

To find out more about the KDP Program:
https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/KDPSelect

If you’d prefer to have your book available for other e-readers, check out Smashwords as they are a distributor for the other e-readers. A warning, however: Smashwords does not offer the same sort of piracy protection that Kindle does. (E-book piracy will be a topic of an upcoming post…)

Digital or Print? I’d say do both…but start with digital!

Next month: Print on Demand or Off Set Printing?

If you have any comments or questions, feel free to comment below.

Self-Publishing and Web Presence

December 10, 2012/8 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

image purchased from iStock

Since I self-published my first book eight years ago, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of self-published books being released. In 2009, nearly 80 percent of all books released were self-published. And with the e-book revolution, there are even more independently published books released each year. Many authors are choosing this route, so I wanted to focus on web presence in promoting a self-published book. Keep in mind that this assumes the self-published author has hired a competent editor and book designer in order to produce a high quality book. No amount of web presence will help you promote a low quality book.

Having a web presence before you publish is essential, although you can build a web presence after you publish.

Here are a few helpful sites the self-published author should have…below each one are several examples from self-published authors I know.

Author Page
Author pages should list information about the author: books, awards, biography and special interests.
TM Wallace
Gerard Webster

Blog
A blog takes a lot of time. And if you’re only posting to it once a month or less, you are unlikely to gain many followers. Try starting out at once a week. Comment and “like” other bloggers’ posts. There are several free blogging sites an author can use. I use WordPress (first example below). Another option is Blogger (second example).
Plot Line & Sinker
Cause of Our Joy Blog

Book Page
Book pages list reviews, synopsis, excerpts, ordering information and freebies for readers. A web professional can set up a book page or you can do it through a free WordPress site. As well, Vistaprint offers websites (the second site below is a Vistaprint site).
In Name Only Web Page
The Cameo Web Page

Facebook Page for Author and/or Book
A Facebook author page is a great way to let fans and others on Facebook know what’s going on: book signings, freebies etc.
Ann Frailey’s Facebook Page
Ellen Gable, Author’s Facebook Page

Twitter
Twitter is a social networking site where you can post short posts, “retweet” others’ posts and it has the potential of helping you gain a following.
Leticia Velasquez on Twitter
Susi Pittman (Catholic Steward) on Twitter

Goodreads
Whether you’re self-published or traditionally published, Goodreads is one of the best sites for authors and readers. You can become a “Goodreads Author.” Goodreads will also link your blog to your profile page.
Ellen Gable’s Goodreads Author Page
Elena Maria Vidal’s Goodreads Author Page

Linked In
Linked in is a social networking site that connects business and professional contacts. Your contacts can now “endorse” you for various jobs and skills you have.
Gloria Winn’s Linked in Profile
Nancy Carabio Belanger’s Linked In Profile

Amazon Author Page
Amazon Author pages include a biography of the author, along with all the books that have been published and that are available on Amazon. The Amazon Author Page also connects your blog to your page.
Ellen Gable’s Amazon Author Page
Karen Kelly Boyce’s Amazon Author Page

Other “pages” include Google Plus and a You Tube Channel.

Some of these links/pages take time to maintain and keep fresh with material, but some, like the Amazon Author Page, take only a few moments to update every six months or so. All of these links can be very helpful in finding your target audience.

There are many self-published authors I didn’t mention. If you are a self-published author and wish to include your links, please feel free to comment below!

Does Self-Publishing Mean Substandard?

November 12, 2012/8 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

image copyright Ellen Gable Hrkach

Although I now own and run and a publishing company, all my books were self-published. I don’t like the connection that people often make between self-published books and “bad” or substandard writing. The truth is, the vast majority of self-published books (I’ve read a lot of them) are indeed substandard quality. I download free Kindle books every day and many of them aren’t worth downloading because they are embarrassingly bad. I’ve also read some wonderfully written self-published books, but these are in the minority.

So…is the ease of self-publishing bringing the overall quality of books down?

Well, in a word, I believe it is.

Unfortunately, many self-published authors think they can write a book without extensive editing. Others, who do have editors, don’t employ professionals, and instead use friends and relatives. Another self-published novelist I know used a published author as editor but this particular “published” author had no experience in fiction so this showed in the characters and plot. Still others publish their books with little or no proofreading.

Going with a “Self-Publishing” company like Trafford or iUniverse also doesn’t guarantee high quality. Large companies want your business and while they can be helpful, they are also more expensive than a self-publishing book coach.

In my capacity as a reviewer for CatholicFiction.net as well as a reviewer for other websites, many self-published manuscripts come across my desk (or computer) that are so atrociously written, I won’t even review them.

I’ve come up with a few ways to increase the likelihood that your self-published book will not be included in the “badly written” bunch.

Avoid Thinking “I Can Do It All”
I’ve won awards and have had bestselling books precisely because I realize that I can’t do it all. I hire editors, copy-editors, proofreaders and my husband (a professional artist) designs my covers.

Employ a Professional Editor (for overall plot, characters, setting, writing style) and humbly consider their advice. If you’re writing fiction, find a fiction editor. If you’re writing a non-fiction book, find one who specializes in non-fiction. Authors should want their work to be the best it can be. Sometimes a book has to go through many edits in order to be polished and of good quality. My first novel went through about 30 edits. My second and third novels, ten. Be open to construction criticism. Don’t we all want to produce quality books?

Use a Copy-editor (for grammar, word usage and punctuation)
One author I know used a friend as copy-editor. This person (I’m guessing) had little experience in professional copy-editing. That particular book was a great read, but had many comma, quote and apostrophe errors that made it distracting to read. When a reader gets distracted, they’re pulled from the story.

Proofreaders, Proofreaders, Proofreaders!!!
Ask at least 10 of your friends and relatives if they could read your manuscript and find typos. One novelist I know didn’t use any proofreaders (he said he proofread his book himself, which was a big mistake…authors can be blind to their own mistakes). Unfortunately, it showed. Another author used one proofreader, but one isn’t enough to read through 100,000 words and find all the typos. With my second novel, In Name Only, ten proofreaders went through the book and missed “Brtish.” I didn’t catch it until I converted my book to Kindle.

Employ a Professional Cover Designer
The book may be good, but if the cover looks like a five year old designed it or the font is too light to read, then people may not even consider buying your book. A good cover must also look eye- catching in thumbnail. Many of the self-published book covers I see on Kindle are not professionally designed. In fact, many look like a child designed them.

Research
If your book takes place 100 years ago, please do the research that is necessary. I once read a self-published novel that takes place in the 1870’s and the author included an automobile (those didn’t appear on the scene until 20 or 30 years later…).

Kindle Conversions
If you don’t know how to convert your manuscript to Kindle (or other ebooks), hire a professional. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve downloaded on Kindle that were virtually unreadable because of the poor conversion.

If You’re Going to Print…
If you’re printing your book, hire a Print on Demand (POD) Company who has extensive experience with printing books. A company that prints brochures, business cards and flyers may not be the best company to print your book. Create Space (Amazon’s POD Company) prints over 100,000 books per week and, for the most part, they know what they’re doing and their customer service team is extremely helpful.

Consider Using a Book Coach For a small fee, book coaches (like myself) walk the self-published author through the maze of self-publishing. As a book coach, I sometimes help with editing (although not always) and assist the self-published author in releasing a quality book. The book coach’s fees are usually much less than an author would pay for self-publishing companies.

Following all these hints will not guarantee that your book will be high quality, but it will certainly lessen the chances of it being “embarrassingly bad” or substandard. In the future, I hope to see more quality self-published books so we can remove the stigma and the frequent connection that self-published books equal substandard quality.

Have you self-published? If so, did you use a company, a book coach or did you do it yourself? Feel free to comment below.

Gotcha! Hooks: What They Are and How to Create Page-Turning Fiction

October 23, 2012/10 Comments/in Catholic Writing and Publishing, Editing, Encouragement for Writers, Fiction, Self-Publishing, The Writing Life, Writing Tips and Tricks/by Leslie Lynch

What’s a hook??? I admit to scratching my head over that term, and for a much-too-long time. I would hear it when people were discussing top-selling novels; I’d see it in articles about the craft of writing. It was a frequent comment from my critique partners. “Not much of hook there, Leslie.” (Insert visual of me scratching my head. Again.) They tried to explain it to me: Leave the reader hanging at the end of the chapter. An unanswered question. A cliffhanger.

Well, that was all fine and dandy, except I didn’t get the concept. Until our critique group got down to business and I began to evaluate other people’s unfinished work. Over time, I began to recognize when the end of a chapter or scene felt flat. I began to see how they worked through the process. And then when I saw what my fellow writers did to spice up the work, it finally began to make sense. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place for me when I read James Scott Bell’s Elements of Fiction Writing – Conflict & Suspense.

The basic idea is to end a chapter with the character facing peril of some sort, whether an internal conflict or an external plot development. The higher the stakes for the character, the better. In fact, Bell suggests the character must face death in some form – physical, psychological or professional. Of course your story isn’t filled with melodramatic, overblown situations, but each character must have something crucial at stake in each scene. By setting it up so someone is forced to face failure at some level, and then leaving the conflict unresolved, you create a hook.

Hooks come from disaster (Bell’s death) looming, occurring, or simply being implied. The hook can be expressed through dialogue, as a plot twist, as emotion, or via action. The hook can be an actual question, although I’d caution you to use that technique sparingly. I read a book once that ended every chapter with a question, and it felt like old-fashioned middle grade fiction. It didn’t work so well in an adult novel. Whatever method you chose to create a hook, take care to do it in a way that doesn’t leave the reader feeling manipulated. That usually has the opposite effect from what you intend!

One of the most common errors is the form that many of us learned in school: To write each chapter with a beginning, a middle, and an end. This works for nonfiction, but if you want a fiction reader to say “I couldn’t put it down!”, try ending the chapter a paragraph or two early. You’ll be surprised at how well this simple technique works. Then use that bit as the beginning of the next scene.

Go to your personal library of favorite books, or to the library or bookstore. Page through your favorite authors’ work and read the last paragraph of each chapter. You’ll get a solid sense of what creates a hook in short order.

It’s always a question that leaves the reader wanting—no, needing to know what happens next??? Whatever you do, don’t answer the question until the end of the book! Well, you can answer bits of it as you go along, but don’t answer the main question of the book until the end.

Hopefully, the result will be an ocean full of readers happily chasing the hook you’ve dangled – and saying, “That book was so good, I couldn’t put it down!”

How do you define a hook? What’s your approach to creating one? Share your favorite technique!

Networking and the CWCL

September 10, 2012/2 Comments/in Catholic Writers Conference Live, Catholic Writing and Publishing, Self-Publishing/by Ellen Gable Hrkach

As a Catholic writer, do you sometimes feel out of touch with other Catholic writers? Do you feel out of place at your secular writers’ group?

Years ago, when I first began writing fiction, I joined a local secular writers group. However, I soon felt like a fish out of water. No one in the group was even Christian, let alone Catholic. They were nice, but I didn’t feel a connection. When I joined the Catholic Writers Guild at the suggestion of my friend, Lisa, I soon realized that it was the best thing I ever did, not only to become a better writer, but to become a better Catholic.

Jerry Webster, his wife, Anne, and volunteer coordinator, Margaret Realy, at the CWG Registration Desk, photo Jerry Webster

One of the most valuable ways to network with fellow Catholic writers is to attend the annual CWCL conference. A few weeks ago, at the Catholic Writers Conference Live/Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show/Catholic New Media Conference in Arlington, Texas, attendees had the incredible opportunity to meet many like-minded Catholics and Catholic writers in particular. Jennifer Fitz shared some of the events from the conference a few weeks ago when she was blogging live.

Talking with Patti Armstrong after my Marketing talk. Photo courtesy Jerry Webster

For me, it was an overwhelming and enjoyable experience, although it was also exhausting as I’m sure Ann Lewis, (President and organizer of the Conference) as well as Margaret Realy (Volunteer Coordinator) would agree. There were opportunities for book signings at the booth. Some CWG members had a unique opportunity to be interviewed by Doug Keck from EWTN’s Bookmark. At the Conference breakfast on Thursday morning, Doug was given an honorary CALA award for his support of Catholic writers.

CWG President Ann Lewis signing copies of her book – photo courtesy Jerry Webster

New friendships were made and long-time friendships were solidified. Volunteers came forward to help out. Ann, Margaret and I are extremely grateful for their assistance.

The hustle and bustle of the CWG Booth – photo courtesy Jerry Webster

On Thursday morning, authors seeking publication had the opportunity to pitch their book ideas to several publishers.

CWCL participants listened to great talks by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, Teresa Tomeo and Gail Coniglio, Sarah Reinhard, Michael Russell, Patti Armstrong, Ann Lewis, myself and several others.

At the sponsored meals, we heard talks from Fr. Michael Gaitley, singer Collin Raye and Dr. John Bergsma. There were also presentations by Immaculee and Jeff Cavins. Author book signings for well-known authors as well as not-so-well known authors happened hourly during the Trade Show. Many of us attended the screening of the new St. Augustine movie, Restless Heart.

If you’re looking to network with other Catholic writers, there’s no better way than to attend our annual conference. Needless to say, I had a great time and I highly recommend attending next year!