If you click the 'More' button you should, hopefully, be able to see the forum page.

Wow, Laura! You're doing a great job!

Thanks... It's like chugging up a mountain. I think I can... I think I can...

And if I were Descartes I'd say 'I think I can ~ therefore, I KNOW I can! :o)

Haha!

11 Tips For Author Events

Posted by Ron Knight in upauthors.com

I just attended a book fair in Venice, Florida that had 56 authors selling their books. Here are some things I noticed:

~ About 20% of the authors were sitting. The problem with that is it makes the author look like they aren’t passionate about sharing their story. Of those 20%, only half stood up when I spoke to them. This is a big mistake if you want to sell books.

TIP: It can be exhausting, but you must stand and greet each potential reader. You only have a few seconds to make an impression.

~ Only 2 authors stood in front of their table, rather than behind the table. It probably wasn’t a coincidence that I spent a few extra minutes listening to those 2 authors pitch their books.

TIP: Standing to the front/left or front/right of the table shows confidence in what you’re doing and you will engage in more conversations.

~ Only 50% of the authors had either a bookmark, or business card with their contact information. Of those, 20% had cheap looking bookmarks or business cards that they obviously copied off their printer and cut out.

TIP: Most people will collect bookmarks and decide later on which books to purchase. This is essential for every author to have. (I order my bookmarks from Brand Eleven Eleven. http://www.brand1111.com )

~ Of those that had bookmarks or business cards, only 20% provided an email address. For some reason authors aren’t including their email addresses, but I’m not sure why.

TIP: You never know who will be stopping at your table. It’s important to have all of your contact information provided on a professional bookmark, or business card, which includes all of your links AND your email address.

~ Only 2 authors provided an extra activity to do at their table.

TIP: If you provide some sort of simple game where you can win a free prize, this will build a crowd around your table and keep people near you longer.

~ Only 1 author gave away a free pencil. (On that pencil was their book title and website.)

TIP: If you give away a pencil, or some sort of small prize, it will be a promotion that lasts even longer than a bookmark.

~ Only 10% of authors pitched me on their books in less than 25 words.

TIP: The most difficult thing for authors to do is pitch their novel in one sentence, but it’s critical to have that pitch ready. Perhaps you can pitch your book the same as the film industry pitches a new movie. “My book is like Die Hard on a bus!” Or, “My book is Blade Runner meets Field of Dreams.”

~ ZERO authors gave away an excerpt of their book.

TIP: Even if you sat down behind your table, didn’t give away bookmarks or business cards, didn’t provide an extra activity or handout free items, or didn’t pitch your book, there is one slam dunk way to get anyone excited about your story…give them an example.

Professional Excerpt Tips:

~ On the top left corner provide a black and white photo of your book cover, or some sort of image that relates to your book.

~ Provide the first chapter of your book, or whatever fits on a 9×11 sheet.

~ On the back, (Or if you have room on the bottom front page) provide your links and email address.

Your story is amazing, so people will purchase your book before leaving the event, or purchase your book using one of your links. There’s no better pitch than your writing.

Bonus: Spend a little extra money and printout another sheet that provides 10 tips that benefit your target readers. Staple that tip-sheet to your excerpt.

For example, if you write teen books, provide 10 tips on how to survive high school. If you write inspirational books, provide 10 tips on starting off the day with a positive attitude.

~ Zero authors sold something other than their book.

TIP: The book fair was outside in Venice, Florida. If an author sold waters for a dollar, they would have made a killing. Also, authors should sell wristbands for a buck that have the title of their book, or a catchy phrase based on their story.

Your book is the gateway to all kinds of success, but it starts with YOU…

John, this was amazing! I would never have thought about most of these things. I particularly like the bookmarks. And yes, the "Elevator Pitch" is so critical:)

Customer/Browser: "Hmm...intriguing title. Nice cover. What's your book about?"
Auuthor (sitting): "Umm..."
Customer/Browser smiles and walks on.

Good stuff John!

20 Ideas For Sharing on Social Media by Cairenn Rhys (repost from writenonfictionnow.com)

Many writers who are newly published or new to social media can feel confused about what they should share publicly as they make their first foray into social media marketing.

Some fear the vulnerability of having their content shared freely on the Internet. Others may feel that they have exhausted the topic they write about.

When asked, I sometimes respond by suggesting to authors what they shouldn’t post: pictures of kittens (there already too many on the Internet, especially on Facebook) or images of meals they prepare, unless they wrote a cookbook and have mastered the skill of presenting food on a plate.
Represent Your Brand on Social Media

It can be difficult for authors to think of themselves as a brand, but you are, and your readers (and colleagues) are watching you.

Try to reflect your brand in every post and tweet. For example, on my Facebook page and Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ accounts, I stick to the topics of social media and writing. On my blog, I write about how writers can use social media to market their books. On Pinterest, I’ve created pinboards filled with social media infographics as well as boards that reflect my interest in reading, writing, bookstores, and bookshelves, as well as boards on quotes from famous authors and writing prompts. Social media and information about books – including an occasional post on social media – are the only topics I write about and share.

As a brand, it’s important for you to keep your messaging consistent. If you write about traveling abroad on $30/day, give tips throughout the year. If you wrote a book about hiking, offer tips on boots, tents, and camping with a three-year-old. If you wrote a book about running a small business, provide time management and other tips throughout the year.

Ask questions, seek engagement and return to your social media networks during the day to acknowledge comments. Make time to engage with your friends and fans by clicking on your Home tab and seeing what they have to say. Don’t forget to share their posts too, and leave comments.
Writers: Use These 20 Ideas When You Share on Social Media

If you need more ideas about what you can post, here is a list of twenty items that you can share on your social media profiles.

Share book covers, especially if you can’t decide which of several versions you should use. Post the covers and ask your followers to help you decide.
Share a poem, a free chapter of your book or a free short story from an anthology.
Did you create a Goodreads giveaway? Let your followers know about it.
Share your shelf of favorite books on Goodreads, LibraryThing or Riffle.
Share pictures of yourself from a recent reading or workshop you taught.
Share pictures of your books on shelves at a local café or bookstore.
Share video clips from your readings.
Share a podcast of you talking about your book.
Did a colleague start a Kickstarter campaign? Encourage your fans and followers to make a donation.
Share links to your blog posts.
Create a variety of pinboards on Pinterest (author quotes, writing prompts, favorite books, colleagues’ books, etc.) and share links to them.
Share information about your colleagues’ book and blog posts.
Let your readers know when you discount prices on your books.
Go to Alltop and curate information to share. Topics can include advice from famous writers, writing tips, writing prompts, or information about blogging and self-publishing.
Collect and share cartoons about the writing process. Your friends will enjoy the opportunity to chuckle.
Don’t forget to share great lines from your books or poetry.
Let your readers know about a free eBook you offer when the sign up for your eNewsletter.
Sign up for a curation application such as Scoop.it. You’ll be able to curate information, publish it in the form of an online magazine, and share the link to each publication on your social media networks.
Continue to search for new methods to promote or share your books and then write about what you’ve learned. You can then share the link to the post and help your colleagues continue their education as well.
Sign up for Canva or PicMonkey, create branded images with a text overlay and share them with your fans and followers.

Any tips for coming up with a title? :D

One tip....Your Imagination.

Btw...I come up with titles...Then I build a story around it. Strange, but true.

Well I try to do so, but I'm absolutely terrified of having the same title with another existing book/website/etc. :/

There are I'm sure many stories, films that share the same name/title. Nothing to worry about.

Alright thanks for the advice! Appreciate it. :D

Many writers knowingly or unknowingly write on same subject and some times with the same title, but the way and material will be entirely different. We can not be the shadow of others, being the original is always better than a shadow of someone. Inspirations are a lot more magnet stones and when you get inspiration from someone other, you try to show better. If I am wrong, I want to get my belief corrected, only if I am convinced. Your feel of being right is always top!!!

To BR Raksun. I agree. However to receive inspiration is different than to receive an idea. Inspiration is a small, almost minuscule piece of a puzzle which will then be your story. An idea is as you say, pretty much the same story. So I think that perhaps your reasoning on the difference between an 'inspiration' and an 'idea' is a bit foggy :) Of course that could just be my own foggy opinion.

I would suggest checking out this link https://timstout.wordpress.com/story-structure/blake-snyders-beat-sheet/ It is a script writing style which I am currently basing a book off of and I find that it's aid to writing is exceptional! Actually I a sort of unsure how I wrote without the knowledge of it in the first place! You don't have to follow it's advice to the detail, but even it's general encouragement will up your writing prowess to an personal satisfaction as I have found it. :)

Show or Tell By: judycolella
about 1 month ago

As writers, we keep being told by those critiquing our work, "Too much telling, not enough showing," or "You're telling, not showing." Hmm. It took me a long time to figure out what the heck that meant and why it even mattered. Eventually, though, I figured it out simply by not only reading some of my favorite books over (the ones by award-winning authors), but by scrutinizing HOW they were written. For instance, I learned that what I had thought was an omniscient point of view by one of those authors was nothing of the kind, The whole thing had been written from the point of view of the main character, but his observations about his surroundings and the dialogue made such a complete picture, it seemed as if I knew what the other characters were thinking.

As for the showing, not telling, I thought it was a lot of nonsense until I did that scrutinizing thing and realized that "telling" was nothing more than a narration with no active voice; my school text books were a bunch of telling, information dumps, all passive, and responsible for me falling asleep in class.

In today's let's-turn-this-epic-novel-into-a-crazy-long-movie era, we find ourselves listening to opening narratives by an actor, usually one with a British accent, setting the background for us since showing it in the movie would make a three-hour film more like fifteen. So we think, "Aha! That's how I'll start my book! I'll do a prologue that gives the entire history of every race, the entire planet's geography, and who all the characters are without giving them any names...yet. Yeah. That's what I'll do." Trouble is, a book is not a movie, so unless you want to put your readers to sleep in the first paragraph, you might want to take a second - and serious - look at the "show not tell" concept.

Here is a kind of abbreviated guide to get you started that a good friend posted on Facebook:

TIPS TO AVOID "TELLING" WRITING IN PERSONAL NARRATIVES AND FICTION

1. Avoid using "to be" verbs excessively (am, are, was, were, is, being, have been):

TELLING: Sally is the type who thinks she's right
SHOWING: Sally thinks she's right

TELLING: It was an exaggeration.
SHOWING: Sally exaggerated.

2. Use VERBS that show instead of ADJECTIVES that tell:

TELLING: a loud man SHOWING: the man roared
TELLING: old paint SHOWING: paint peeled
TELLING: sad woman SHOWING: the woman wept

3. Use specific descriptive words:

Instead of "he's tall," say "he's 6 foot 7"
Instead of "flower," say "daffodil" (or whatever flower you're referring to)
Instead of "walk," say "shuffle" or "amble" or "lope"

4. Name things:

Street - Main Street, Broadway, etc.
Restaurant - Chez Panisse, McDonalds, etc.
Shoes - flip-flops, stilettos, cowboy boots, etc.
Store - Macy's, Home Depot, etc.

5. Strong verbs carry more impact than adverbs:

Instead of "he shouted angrily," try, "he bellowed" or "he ranted."

6. "Very" is not a very good descriptive word:

It was a hot day.
It was a very hot day.
BETTER: It was a blistering day.
BETTER YET: Flowers wilted and dogs panted in the shade.

7. Use dialogue - it allows the reader to experience the scene as if they were there:

TELL: My mom was so angry!
SHOW: "Betsy Marie," mom bellowed, "get in here this instant!"

These are just a few ideas for you to work with, but I think it's also a good start. Review your work, see if you've used any of these "telling" examples, and see how you can replace them with "showing."

It's said writing (among other pursuits) is a labor of love. Guess this is part of the labor, lol. Worth it, though, for sure!

how, Tell, What the ....? [think of a rhyming word for "tell"] By: judycolella
about 15 hours ago

I recently shared a post about showing instead of telling, and what all that means, but at times, you do have to resort to telling. But when? And how much? Too much can translate to author intrusion, too little doesn't help your story. So while "showing" is the best way to move a story along, sometimes, ya just gotta "tell." Here are five instances I discovered on an awesome website shared by a good friend and fellow writer:

When Can You Tell, and Not Show?

You can tell:

1) To connect scenes and/or gloss over unnecessary conversations. Sometimes you need to make your readers comfortable with a brief transition that lets them know where they are in the story. The characters might have travelled to another city or moved to a different room. Or a short period of time might have passed. For example, ‘Jeremy waited until five minutes past eight the next morning before he marched into the Radisson Blu Hotel. He had spent the night obsessing about his future. Kirsten’s demands echoed in his head and he could barely think straight. He ignored his pounding headache and walked across to the check-in counter. He asked the concierge to call Room 303.’

2) To report events and/or gloss over unimportant characters. You can tell us about the things that happened in your character’s lives that aren’t vitally important to show in the story. For example, if your story is set in a school environment, briefly tell us how the characters spent their Christmas holidays at home. Don’t introduce us to a series of characters who have nothing to do with the main story.

3) To show that time is passing. Books can span days or decades. We don’t need to know what happens every moment. Use telling to reveal that time has passed, seasons have changed, or people have aged to get us to the next important part of the story.

4) To focus on emotion when showing is impossible. Sometimes a character is so isolated or immobile that we need to get into his or her emotions with telling. Bear in mind, though, that this is an old-fashioned way of writing. Madame Bovary would not be published today. Move your character back into the action of the story as soon as you can.

5) To add backstory. Sometimes a little bit of telling is necessary. When there is no other way of introducing the past, you can add it in, but remember to reveal these bits and pieces gradually. Keep this as brief as possible, and remember that you can never ever start a novel or a memoir with backstory.

There you go! I thought this was excellent, clear advice about when and why to use telling as a technique. If you haven't read my post about showing, and aren't sure what in blazes I'm talking about, go check it out - it's the sixth post down on the list here. Happy writing! 'D

J.C., thank you very much for your advice on 'Too Much Telling' and 'Not Showing'. I welcome it and found it useful.
AdlinT

My utmost gratitude! Invaluable advice for a beginner like myself.

Am grateful for that advice for people like me

grateful for the valuable advice to improve my work.