"Toxic" is Now In Print!

I almost passed out as I ripped open the cardboard packaging that held my books. Finally, after six months  of work I was holding my first novel in my hands. Toxic is officially in print. For more info Continue reading...

The Industry Worst Trends List

I saw this post from Oosa's Book Club Facebook page and thought "About damn time somebody put this list together!" Shoot, I was kinda mad that I didn't think of it first. Lol. Kidding!
But anywho. Here is the list. Authors PLEASE take heed to this!


The Internet is the next best thing to sliced bread!  With the explosion of the Internet, businesses and industries have had to adapt and evolve with the progression of technology.  For example, social networking sites have become hugely popular within the literary industry and used in the promotion of authors, publishing houses, editing services, and book clubs. Maximum exposure is received due to the masses that frequent these sites leading to better sales.  Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad. Along with that growing number of sales and exposure, it seems professionalism, common sense, courtesy, and manners have gone down hill.  Readers have again weighed in with...
THE INDUSTRY'S WORST TRENDS LIST.  


Facebook

• Posting to groups and not interacting with the members or adding to a discussion.
• Friending others and immediately posting links to "like" a page.
• Authors posting every review for their book in Facebook groups.
• Adding others to groups without permission.
• Soliciting books sales through inbox messages that include several others.  When one person replies, everyone receives that reply.
• Authors posting on the pages of other’s while others can’t post on theirs.
• Responding to any and every post, note, or status with information about their book or a sales pitch.

General Behavior

• Authors going rogue, assuming they are “hated on” when a reader shares their opinion.
• Aspiring authors not doing their homework before signing with a publisher or paying for publishing industry advice. Not everyone is reputable.
• Authors providing blurbs or reviews for books they have not read.
• Responding to anyone that didn’t like/love a book with, “But so-and-so liked it.”
• Authors believing they are royalty or rock stars.

Reviews/Review Requests

• Authors who haven't taken the time to get reviews for their very first book in a series but want reviews for the subsequent parts.
• Books accepted for review but the author/publisher/publicist never sends it with zero follow-up.
• Authors posting their own reviews for their books, posing as a random reader.
• Asking for and providing a book for review, but ignoring the review (& reviewer) if it is not what the author wanted (5 stars).
• Authors with unrealistic review timeframe expectations. 
• Unprofessional review requests.
• Negative behavior in response to reviews.
• Submitting books for review and not acknowledging the review or saying thank you.
• Removing reviews or asking readers/reviewers to remove reviews AFTER a book has been re-edited.
• Sending ARCs/galleys for review that are in terrible condition or that do not reflect the story that went to print. (ARC ends one way, published book ends another way.)
• Stating that a book is an ARC or galley so that errors will be taken into consideration when the book is the same book anyone can purchase.
• An author expecting everyone to feel their book is a 5-star read.
• Confusing constructive criticism with hate.

Book Quality

• There still are authors who don't respect the craft enough to have their book properly edited.
• Authors seem to think if there are any plus size characters in a book, their size always has to be the main part of the book.
• Authors using plus size female characters as the ones with self-esteem issues, domestic/mental abuse victim, and/or the one that can't find a man.
• Sequels, trilogies and series.  Most are not necessary and it takes a very skilled author to pull this off. But now we have brand new authors just looking for a way to garner extra money off of one story, instead of coming up with a new storyline.
• A book title or synopsis that does not reflect the story.
• Constant references to brand names or songs.
• A plot twist with absolutely no lead up.

In conclusion, if the value of your reputation is important to you and the acceptance of your work is to be respected, then professionalism, including social media etiquette, should be applied in all you do.

Sincerely,
Readers

Joy Deja King Gotta Nice Ass House!

I ran across this video of Joy Deja King announcing the winner of a contest she put on with YouTube reviewer Miss P. She got one nice house. The book publishing game is treating her very well I see.

The Road To "Toxic": The Synopsis Struggle!

READ THE EXCERPT!

 

I went on Ustream last week and announced that my new book "Toxic" will be out this month on November 24th. (If you missed the broadcast watch it HERE.) Above is the cover that I did myself. I love it and I'm so proud of it!
I'm finishing up the second draft of the book and am starting on the marketing. I put together a basic marketing plan and I'm filling in the details. I want to do a virtual book tour, a video blog, and the whole nine. When the marketing plan is complete I'll post it here.
The first thing I had to do was write up a short synopsis, or summary, of "Toxic". It only has to be 1-3 paragraphs long but it I had the hardest time doing it. Explaining the plot in a couple paragraphs while sparking interest without spoilers was difficult for me. I take my work so serious sometimes that I feel the need to add every detail when that's really not necessary all the time.
After about an hour I put together this first draft of my synopsis. Tell me what you think:

What started out as a romantic reunion of estranged lovers, Tracey and Andre, ends with Tracey being choked out by him and waking up tied to a chair. Andre raped and tortured her for over 12 hours before letting her go.

Just a month earlier Sandra helped Tracey break free from a twisted love triangle with Andre and his under aged, pregnant girlfriend Punkin. After hearing how he violated Tracey once again, Sandra knew it was time for her best friend to get rid of Andre permanently. Tracey was going to kill him and Sandra would show her how.

Tracey was moments away from Andre's demise and her freedom, but the murder goes terribly wrong and he escapes. As the ladies clean up Tracey's mess a ghost from her past shows up and Punkin declares war, which complicates everything. Tracey pounds the pavement of the streets looking for Andre and proves just how far she is willing to go in the name of love. It's his life or hers and in the end only one will survive this toxic love affair. The question is, which one will it be?

How To Write a Book

People always ask me how they can write a book. I love this video. It is a simple explanation on how to do it.

Why You Need a Book Editor

Outline Your Story In 30 Minutes

On Elizabeth Craig's blog Mystery Writing is Murder she did a post with a list of writing worksheets and other tools. The one I found most interesting was this one that shows you how to outline a story in 30 minutes. It gives you a list of questions to answer and you only have three minutes to answer each of them. I did it and I found it very helpful.
Here's the link to the worksheet. Try it out and let me know how you liked it.

Successful Author Secrets Summit 2012

Lynne Klippel is interviewing 16 publishing and marketing experts about how to write, publish and promote their books. I'll be sharing tips on how to sell books to libraries. 

The interviews are recorded so you can listen at your convenience. And, there's a great contest with some pretty spectacular prizes, including a Kindle Fire, a book consultation, and a custom book cover design.  

Click here for your complimentary registration. 

The Decision Of Turning My Passion Into My Business

I have finally taken the first steps in starting my publishing company. I have started getting business counseling and I am in the planning phase of writing my business plan. It's been a long time coming. For the past two years I have been on a learning curve. Learning as much as I could about the publishing industry and writing. I'm a student at Full Sail University pursuing a Bachelor's in Creative Writing For Entertainment and I love it. I'm turning my passion into my business. The decision to do so wasn't hard to make.  Living out my dream and getting a paycheck for it is just plain ol' smart to me.

For some women it's not so easy. For their own reasons, making the decision to follow their passion is hard. I have a few suggestions for those of you that find yourself in that position:

• Being passionate vs. Being interested.  We're all interested in a million things. I for one love doing hair, would love to work in the medical field, would like to invest in real estate, and so many other things. I've been to school to pursue those things in the past and failed miserably. Why? Because I find those things interesting but I'm not passionate about them. Writing, I'm passionate about. That 's the one thing I've always stayed dedicated to. The first step in turning your passion into your business is to make sure you're pursuing something you're passionate about. Not something you're just interested in.
• Study the market thoroughly.  If you determine that you are in fact passionate about something. See if there is a way that you can make money from that. Research the industry and market thoroughly. Learn all you can about the market. Make note of things like who the industry leaders are, who your potential buyers are, what skills you have that can help you enter the market, etc.
• Write out a plan and set realistic goals. You've know what you're passionate about. You know that there is a market for your passion. Now it's time to take your research and use it to write out a plan for how you will turn your dream into a reality. You need a map to know where you're going. This will help to keep you on track and give you a way to check your progress. This was one that I didn't really think I needed at first. This is the most important of the tips. I realize that now. It wasn't until I had a clear plan written down and began to follow it that I started to progress.

Next I encourage you to find  a business mentor. They can give you guidance, advice, and insight into business and can be your support. Sometimes family and friends aren't the best support when you're following your dream. Sometimes they don't believe in your passions as much as you do and can stunt your progress. 

Lastly, take action! Move now! There is no perfect time. If you wait until the time is "right" you may never take the first step.  Good luck!

What are your passions? Any tips for how to turn your passion into a business?

NaNoWriMo - Week One: Hell Week

So the first week of National Novel Writing Month has come to a close. This has been a week of pure hell thus far. I am so disappointed with myself. At the end of the day yesterday I was supposed to have a little over 11,000 words. I currently have 7,091 words. This is not good. I have been very distracted by family and men (my ultimate weakness). There's also this weird feeling of fear that comes over me when I think about the 50,000 word goal. To me, that's a huge number and I get a little intimidated. The pep talks that are featured on the NaNoWriMo website have been a big help to me. I read one before I start writing just to give me a bit of a nudge to leave the fear behind and get started. I also had to remind myself that this stage of my writing is about quantity and not quality. That helps me take the pressure off of the numbers.
I am ending this first week tired and frustrated. I'm also hopeful and determined to complete NaNoWriMo and have a good first draft to work with. All in all, I am still excited and am even more determined to finish this novel. It's 3:25 a.m. here in Cleveland. I'm tired and hungry so I gotta take care of that. 'Til next time...