Articles with the author Tag

It is 3:57 in the morning. Do you know where your characters are? If you are like most writers, you know exactly where they are because they refuse to let you get a proper nights sleep, or bath, or read, or time alone to enjoy the minutiae of life.

Once you have given life to someone, sometimes they do not shut up. I find this to be true of children, and characters. I rarely get to spend my hour commute listening to the radio, or relaxing with the windows rolled down and my mind on mute. As soon as the fiction characters in my latest story realize I’m alone the chatter starts.

The first time this happened to me, I was sure I was schizophrenic. When I stopped at each red light while driving, I tried to jot down an idea but, by then the characters had told their friends that I was free, and I forgot what I was noting in the first place.

Forget taking a bath. I used to think the kids, and the dog were most deft at keeping me from taking a bath alone. No, it is the antagonist calling to say he is ready to kill my main character, and by the way, …I need to shave my legs.

Sleeping can be like running a relay race. When I sleep someone shouts something into my psyche, and I have to jump up to write. My best stuff comes at 3:00 A M decidedly, because like an infant, that is when my fiction characters are awake. After I have pecked the brainstorm into my computer, I head back to bed. Usually, I can fall back asleep. At least until, the protagonist finds out what his adversary said about him.

When I first started writing, it drove me mad to share my brain with all the people who were crashing my psychological party. Now, when I’m done with a story, and things get quiet, I have let down.

I sit in the tub and wait for someone to say something. Then I lay in bed, and listen to the quiet wishing my fiction characters would “throw me a bone.” When I’m feeling overwhelmed by the amount of jabber going on in my brain, and I want to throw up the NO VACANCY sign, I remember how lonely I am without them.

I just flipped my sign over, reads Vacancy – welcome all night owls. I’ll probably catch you all at about 2:30…in the morning.

Do your fiction characters keep you awake at night? When was the last time you were able to have a relaxing bath or drive from one side of town to the other without their company? How do you deal with the lack of mental vacancies?

Photo Credit: Nathan Barry
Photo Credit: DG Jones

by Laura Cross

Book industry insiders estimate that ghostwriters author 60% to 80% of books published each year. And with book ghostwriting fees range from $10,000 to $100,000 per project — $10,000 being the very low end and $100,000 usually paid to more established writers (“celebrity” ghostwriters earn $250,000+ per book) – more and more freelance writers are discovering that authoring books as a “hidden writer” or collaborator can be a viable and lucrative career.

Here are three secrets to help you create a successful career as a book ghostwriter:

1. Learn How To Capture The Client’s Voice

The ability to capture and convey the client’s voice is an essential component for a successful career as a ghostwriter. Being able to effectively structure content and manage a project are also necessary skills for ghosting, but the ability to mimic the client’s speaking style and make it come alive on paper is the skill that will land you recurring, high-paying projects. Carefully listen to the client during your interviews and conversations (and review any available audio – videos, podcasts, etc. – as well previously published material written by the client) to learn how he or she structures sentences. Listen for specific phrases, word patterns, vocabulary choices, and tone, texture, and energy – and then practice recreating it until your words and the client’s words blend seamlessly.

2. Position Yourself As One Of The Experts In Your Niche

Are you the go-to writer for women’s fitness and health? Do you mostly write narrative essays or opinion pieces? Are you the how-to article guy or the relationship advice guru? Are you a freelance writer with a background in accounting or experience in social media? Ghostwriters who specialize in specific genres (such as memoir, finance and investing, or women’s issues) tend to be more successful than those who generalize. Capitalize on your experience and expertise by focusing your ghostwriting in one to three areas of specialization. Use your portfolio and online presence (website, blog, social media profiles and interactions) to establish and build your platform. Consistently deliver quality content and exceptional customer service to solidify and maintain your status.

3. Connect With Literary Agents

Literary agents are one of the best referral sources for quality ghostwriting projects. Many experts, business leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians, actors, television celebrities, sports figures, chefs, doctors, professors, gurus, and media-darlings-of-the-moment, lack the necessary skills to write a compelling book. Literary agents need to match their clients with professional ghostwriters or collaborators. Connecting with literary agents, and growing and nurturing those relationships over time, is an invaluable element to a successful ghostwriting career. (You can download a free chapter on “Finding and Selecting an Agent” from my book The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent at GetALiteraryAgent.com)

Laura Cross is an author, screenwriter, ghostwriter, freelance book editor, and writing coach specializing in nonfiction books and script adaptation (book-to-film projects). She writes two popular blogs, NonfictionInk.com and AboutAScreenplay.com, and teaches online writing workshops.

Laura’s latest book is The Complete Guide To Hiring A Literary Agent: Everything You Need To Know To Become Successfully Published. You can download a free chapter, view the book trailer, read the full table of contents, and purchase the Book in electronic format at GetALiteraryAgent.com.

Have you every considered ghost writing? Are you in the process of finding a literary agent? Laura joins us today on her blog tour. You’re invited to ask questions in the comments. What would you like to know?



Is it a novel or a book of writing tips?

It’s both actually, if you want it to be.  On her website, the author says it came out of “discussions I had with my mother”.  So it is about a writer and her mother, but also about a creative writing class.  Since Breen herself has taught such a class, parts of it are autobiographical, although she declares there is a lot of fiction woven in.

“Susan Breen has written a beautiful and inspiring story with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Read it! There are so many layers to this book, you’ll find something that touches you or inspires you.” ~ Mary Evelyn Lewis at Virtual Wordsmith

The story is structured around the nine weekly classes and what happens in between them.  The sections on the classes are numbered sequentially, but they are interspersed with numbered chapters, so Chapter One comes after First Class, and is followed by Second Class.  Another element enters the structure part way through, but it would spoil the story to tell you about that in this review.

The writing tips fall out of the description of the classes.  In the first class, the teacher tells her students they will find it easier to start writing if they pick subjects that are important to them.  I love the way she expresses it: “Write about the thing that sets up a commotion in your mind, and you will find that the words come flowing.”  That’s one of the great things about this book.  Many aspects of writing may be familiar, but the language used to explain them is unique and wonderful.

Each class ends with an assignment that the students have to complete before the next, and the assignment follows the book section that describes the class.  For aspiring writers or blocked writers, these assignments alone could be helpful as prompts to get them going.

“This is a delightful first novel written with genuine wit and personality.” ~ Dennis Lythgoe at Deseret News

The first sections also include a brilliant demonstration of how to show your readers what your characters are like.  The main characters in this novel are the teacher and the students of the writing class, plus the teacher’s mother and her carers.

In Chapter One, after the class the teacher visits the nursing home where her mother wants to hear all about it.  The story of their relationship forms a backdrop to the classes, or it could be the other way around, depending on your point of view.  There is also a little love interest, so this book could appeal to quite a wide readership.

But writers, or aspiring writers, will certainly take away lots of writing tips from the class sections.  The section called Second Class discusses characters and what to do with them once the initial ideas for them have germinated – how to make them come alive on the page.  Third class concentrates on plot, the narrative arc, the inciting incident and the climactic scene.  (If you want to know what all that is about, you need to read this book.)

The fourth, fifth and sixth classes cover points of view, description and descriptive language, and dialogue.  In the sections on the final three classes you can learn, or revise, pacing, theme and voice – not active and passive, but the author’s voice that makes each one different from every other.

After reading this book, we should have no trouble writing our own novels.

And interspersed with all these tips and guidance are some hilarious goings-on, plus a very touching story about a mother/daughter relationship developing into a greater understanding and affection, through the medium of language and learning to write.

“Susan Breen teaches fiction classes for Gotham Writers’ Workshop in Manhattan. Her stories have been published by a number of literary magazines, among them American Literary Review and North Dakota Quarterly. She lives in Irvington, NY with her husband, children, two dogs and a cat. In her free time, which she has none of, she likes to read.” ~ From SusanjBreen.com

Jennifer Greenleaf visits WRA!

You might have known her before as Jenn Hollowell, a talented a Maine-based freelance writer and author who married in 2009 and became Jennifer Greenleaf. This weekend she’s promoting four titles through a virtual book-tour and signing.

Writer’s Roundabout contributor, Dawn Allcot, had the pleasure of speaking with Jennifer who has been writing for 10 years, and has much to share with both aspiring writers and professionals about organization, discipline, marketing and more. You can read more about her books on her blog, 12 Publications in 12 Months.

You’ve got a virtual book-signing going on this weekend. Can you tell us what that is and how you got the idea to do it?

I’ve decided to create a virtual book signing for a couple of reasons… Touring around to do face-to-face book signings just isn’t in the cards right now.  The next reason is because I wanted to open this opportunity to those who are living in other states, and even foreign countries.  For those who purchase any one of my books before or during the designated dates, they will receive a custom-made signed bookplate.

I heard of another author doing this years ago, but their name escapes me.  I remember participating in the signing, which was coupled with a message board discussion, and thinking it was a great idea.  Not only was this author able to reach their audience in real time, but they were also able to do it from the comfort of their own home.  This is a win-win situation for everyone, as far as I’m concerned.

Any other unique marketing ideas to promote the sales of your newest titles?

For the “While we’re Apart: A Fill in the Blank Book” series, I plan to send messages to Head Start and Advocates for Parents (and other related groups and organizations) about these titles. I used to serve on the policy council for the Head Start program when my children were pre-school aged, so I’m able to tap into that marketing avenue with a “familiar name.”

For all the titles as a whole, I’m going to schedule once per month virtual book signings (because several more titles are releasing throughout 2010). That way, each title can have its own custom bookplate and customers who missed out on previous signings will have the opportunity to participate again.

What are some of your most effective marketing strategies?

Social networking has been playing a huge roll in my marketing strategies. I’ve been able to use the “fan pages” on Facebook.com quite effectively in terms of creating events, sharing photos, sharing information about book progress, as well as links.  I’ve also found benefit in using Twitter.com to get the word out about my books, and book related events.  There are dozens more networks I plan to tap into as the year progresses.

Many experts tell writers they need a niche to build a platform, etc. Each of your books is in a different niche. Was that a conscious decision?

It was because I don’t want to lock myself into one particular topic. I enjoy flexibility, and I want to continue having the opportunity to write about whatever interests me.  I agree building a platform is important, and I’ll do that by building my name, rather than just one book.  I’m hoping that, when people hear the name Jennifer Greenleaf they’ll correlate that with “life” topics, rather than just one niche.

Has it been easier to market four very diverse titles at once, or has that been a challenge?

At first I felt challenged because I didn’t know which direction to take first.  It wasn’t until I was invited on to the 92 Moose Morning Show, and then Elemental Musings BlogTalk Radio Show that I decided to keep the titles in a group for the time being.  Then, I’ll branch out into segmented marketing efforts geared specifically to art, parenting, and travel.

Your goal is 12 publications in 12 months, and you’re well on your way. How do you stay so prolific?

I don’t believe in locking myself into one specific niche because I feel I’m missing out on opportunities for expanded success.  If the topic interests me, you can be sure I’ll be writing about it in the form of articles, blog posts, or books.  I’m an avid learner, and I’m also looking for more ways to educate my children; so writing has helped me achieve that in a very gratifying way.

When you’re not writing, what do you like to do?

I’m a mixed-media artist, and am frequently looking for opportunities to add creativity to my daily routine.  I love painting, using photographs in art, and working on collages.  This is another aspect of my life my children also enjoy doing with me, again further inspiring me!

Jennifer Greenleaf is visiting us this weekend and is happy to answer your questions. If you’d like to know more about Jennifer’s books, her experiences in publishing, or her years as a writer leave your comments below. Dawn continues with Jennifer tomorrow but in the meantime, check out her books:

• While We’re Apart: A Fill in the Blank Book (Volume 1)
• While We’re Still Apart: A Fill in the Blank Book (Volume 2)
• Maine Living: One Writer’s Perspective (Volume 1)
• 101 Mixed-Media Art Projects, How-To’s and Ideas: A Beginner’s Guide

“Each book has its own custom bookplate designed and signed by Jennifer Greenleaf. All customers have to do is forward their receipt to Jennifer once the purchase has been made, and then they will receive their signed bookplate. The email you need to use in order to receive your custom bookplate is jgbooksigning@aol.com“. So get yourself the book or books of your choice and get in touch with Jennifer.

Have you considered writing a guest post for The Craft of Writing Fiction? Have you been thinking about joining the collaborative blogging project but just don’t know if it’s right for you? Do you want to know some of the benefits of writing for The Craft of Writing Fiction?

Everyone, from those just beginning to inspect their writing bug to the experienced explorers of the writing world, are invited to take part in our collaborative blogging project but read on now to find out 7 reasons why you might like to join us.

1. The biggest draw card is freedom. Unlike Demand Studios you aren’t given a title for which you have to research or scrimp for words. You have the freedom to follow what captures your interest, fires your passions, or intrigues your inspiration. As long as you can tie your topic to the “craft of writing” or “fiction writing” you have free reign to explore anything that interests you. You’re also free to decide when you write and how often you contribute. You are not tied to any specific posting schedule and can contribute several posts when you’re visited by your muse or one or two as inspiration strikes. Even if you post sporadically your readership will continue to grow because The Craft of Writing Fiction has a growing base of contributors allowing us to publish fresh content regularly.
2. Qualified contributors are given the opportunity to subscribe to the CF-Writer’s Mailing List. This is a huge plus because around once a month I send out a short newsletter packed with ideas, keywords, sometimes a theme, and some gossip about what our readers have been wanting to read and what we’d love you to write about. You don’t have to write about those topics if you’re fired up about something else but if you’re ever feeling short on ideas you have a well of inspiration in these newsletters. And I’ve got thousands and thousands more where they came from so if you want even more all it takes is a quick email and I’ll brainstorm with you to come up with some great content.
3. CF has a flexible word count. 400-800 words (longer if prior arranged) is the bottom line. This is because this is the ideal length for blog format and it’s what I know my readers prefer. Most of them are busy writers, like us. They need inspiration and education; they aren’t looking for an epic adventure. But they’re also readers in the true sense of the word. If a topic interests them they’ll read several posts as it goes into more detail so series work well.
4. CF also has an awesome, professional, human editor who likes to pretty up posts, is happy to make edits if needed or requested, manages the posting schedule for you so you can write your posts whenever you want to rather than keeping to a strict schedule, is easy going, and is a firm believer in only doing it because you love it. She’s not pushy, she’s not about to demand several rewrites or delete your content without giving advance warning. Um… Ok, enough tooting my own horn.
5. CF is growing in popularity and developing it’s brand as a writer resource and community. There are plans in the works for expanding the reach of the site and the services it offers. There is an opportunity to get involved in the creation of electronic products exclusive to CF and your ideas regarding the site will always be heard and considered carefully. It also has a standing history having lasted the test of time for blogging. It’s not a fly by night and it’s not about to disappear off the web never to be heard or updated again. The Craft of Writing Fiction is also 100% financed and maintained by my freelance business so I’ll never ask contributors to assist with costs associated with running the site such as hosting and domain name fees.
6. You maintain rights to your posts. While I do ask for first time electronic rights you can republish your posts after they’ve launched on CF. That means the post you wrote for us could go on to make money when you pitch it as a reprint to other publications or post it as a guest post on other blogs. We’d love you to give The Craft of Writing Fiction a nod as original publication but we don’t require your doing so because what you write will always belong to you.
7. Finally, clips, experience, and full credits, are pretty strong draws in and of their own. Some of CF’s writers write for that alone. And the knowledge that they’ve got a ready-made audience. Writing for CF is more effective than writing a blog of your own because there is a team of people working to promote each post and an established readership already coming to look. You don’t have to do all the legwork to find readers. It is also a great way to practice writing online content and if you want any feedback or advice regarding your writing I’m happy to critique or copy-edit your posts. And, your byline, bio, photograph, and up to three external links go right there on the page with every single one of your posts.

Are you excited? Do these fantastic benefits sound enticing? Do you have any questions?

CF’s step-by-step getting started guide.

Have you got a fantastic new book or product that’s all to do with writing? We’d love to help you promote you to the right people.

Each Month, WRA hosts a new author as they showcase their latest success and share insight into writing and the writer’s life. Want an honest, thoughtful review? Willing to participate in an interview or Q and A session? Want to offer your own post or article? Should we run a contest together? Writer’s Round-About offers many choices for promoting authors.

I would love to be able to share more from blog touring authors and we have a few empty places in our schedule. If you have a blog tour planned for the coming months, drop me an email, it might be just the thing WRA would love to help you with!

Earlier this month, Writer’s Round-About had the opportunity to talk to MaAnna Stephenson about her new eBook series, “Just The FAQs”. It is wonderful to be able to share this interview.

It is such a pleasure to have this opportunity to talk about your new eBook series, Just the FAQs. Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.

1. First, what prompted you to write the “Just the FAQs” series of eBooks?

I took four years off from developing sites to do the research for my book The Sage Age – Blending Science with Intuitive Wisdom, which was featured in Publishers Weekly. When I began creating an online presence for that book, things on the Internet had changed and Web 2.0 had become popular. I wasted a lot of days trying to find clear resources to learn what I needed to know to get caught up with the new technology. Since that process was difficult for someone with my background, I knew it would be a nightmare for non-geeks. I simply documented the steps as I went through them and that’s where the material for Just the FAQs eBooks originated. I made sure that they were clear, to the point, and easy to understand for folks who had no prior technical experience.

2. What do you feel is the most important fact these books give readers?

I believe the most important thing these books impart is a sense of confidence built on a solid education so that folks feel very comfortable creating an online presence for themselves that works right the first time and gets results.

3. Who would most benefit from reading these books?

The books are beneficial to anyone who is just starting out with online marketing and wants to promote a product or share news with a target audience. Or, if you’ve been blogging for a while but don’t know if you’re getting the most out of your blog or are confused about how to best use RSS feeds, the eBooks can help take you to the next level. The new classes also teach advanced tips and tricks not covered in the eBooks. Also, folks who already have invested in a nice static site that is tied to their shopping cart but have never blogged can integrate a blog into their site very easily. The eBooks will help them get started on the right foot with that.

4. You’ve taken to Web design and marketing alongside your writing.
How important do you feel it is for professional writers and
freelancers to learn the fundamentals of internet use or the more advanced aspects of Web design?

An online presence is critically important to all writing professions now, therefore, it is almost mandatory that folks learn at least the most basic skills of how to make the Internet work for them. This will include becoming familiar with HTML code, not just for their own site, but to enhance posts they make on other sites that will help get them noticed and stand out from the crowd. Also, new widgets are being created every day that are handy tools that help make managing on online marketing campaign easier and more efficient. Knowing how to work with some of the code to customize them to suit your needs is helpful. Those are part of the advanced tips and tricks I teach in the classes.

5. What sort of impact do you feel the online world has had or will have on the future of writing and publishing?

Digital media is the future of writing and publishing, just as it has been for the music industry for the last several years. Increasingly more folks are viewing online or downloading digital media, whether that is music, podcasts, or videos. The popularity of the Kindle and other digital readers are increasing the demand for more writing content in digital format. Fewer folks are purchasing the tangible medium these days, as we’ve seen with the decline of paper subscriptions to newspapers and magazines in favor of the online only editions. However, I believe some print material will remain for at least the next few decades, including reference books and study material. However, most college students own a laptop and use the school’s digital library and resources everyday, so the trend toward digital reference media will continue to grow.

6. Along with reading your eBooks, where would you recommend a writer begin learning about creating an online presence?

There are literally hundreds of thousands of folks who claim to be gurus on this topic and I’ve been fortunate to develop relationships with some really wonderful folks who are degreed in marketing and help folks develop strategies that work for their product. So, even though there are a lot of people who can teach you how to write an exciting blog post that gets attention and results, there are very few folks who teach the basics of the technical aspects of creating a blog and using all the whistles and bells of it. I’ve attended many teleclasses where the host is giving out the most wonderful information about blogging, but so much of it goes over the heads of the participants because they don’t understand the lingo or know how to install some widget. I’ve found very few sites or other resources that give clear, concise information about the basics in a step-by-step manner where folks can build on their knowledge. In fact, when I first heard about RSS feeds, it took two days of intense searching for me to have a full understanding of what they were and how to get the most out of them. I had to visit multiple sites to finally piece together that there are three components to RSS feeds. I’m posting new articles on the Resources page of Just the FAQs every week or so to help others avoid that frustrating and time-wasting search and to teach folks what they need to know to get started.

7. I love the smart and fun presentation of the Just the FAQs eBooks.
What went into making each of the books? Do you follow a particular process when creating a new eBook?

Thanks, I had a lot of fun creating them. I’ve written several types of technical documents, including engineering change orders, training manuals for technicians, and end user manuals. This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to include colors and symbols and make it fun and appealing to the more creatively-minded folks. I’m a woodcarver, multi-instrumentalist, and composer and I hang out with all sorts of creative folks, so I know how they think and what they like. In fact, I asked a few of my artistic buddies, who don’t feel very comfortable with techie things, to proofread the eBooks. They gave them a thumb’s up for ease of use and fun without being silly or verbose.

I’ve been an electronics engineer for so long that documenting a process as I go through it is simply second nature. Because finding the information was such an arduous task, I wanted to ensure that I had good notes for my own use. When my editor for The Sage Age heard that I was doing this, she began asking questions about her own sites, including her blogs and feeds. I sent her the documentation and she strongly suggested I consider publishing them. They are all step-by-step guides and all have the same color coding, symbols and layout.

The websites book is a little different. It’s written more in prose format and was developed from my years of experience working with clients, especially clients who came to me to completely redesign their site. They had no idea what they were getting into with the first one and made a lot of very expensive mistakes, including losing the copyright to the entire content of their site or not being able to get control of their domain name to point it to a new site. The book is full of information that will help you avoid these mistakes and create a site that both looks great and functions in a way that gets results. (I love your site, by the way. It’s very well done!) The websites book also contains the three worksheets I gave my clients to help them organize and gather the content for the site, which most folks get bogged down in doing because it seems so overwhelming. The only thing they had thought about before hiring a designer was making it look pretty. That’s only skin deep. You have to create content and functional aspects that capture your audience and drive them through the site. It’s the same reason grocery stores put the bakery up front, the meat counter at the back, and the dairy section on the last aisle.

8. We all began somewhere and I know from my own experiences that learning how to build websites and become known online often requires a great deal of trial and error. What sort of mistakes did you make as you learned the answers to the FAQs you share in your eBooks and how
have they helped you develop your skills?

Years of developing sites for non-profit organizations taught me a lot about being in the business of site development. They always wanted something that I didn’t yet know how to do, so I was constantly being challenged to learn and try new things. Of course, being an engineer or in any other technological field is that way. You may graduate, but you never get out of school.

I think the biggest challenge most everyone faces now is how to effectively and efficiently use an online marketing strategy. There are simply too many ways to market online to do them all. It’s important to develop a strategy that is a good fit for you and your product and have a site that lends itself to that strategy. At first it was important to develop a static website as an online brochure. Later, it became popular to post news on a blog as a way to drive traffic to your site. Now, you have to use micro-blogging and social network sites to drive traffic to your blog, which, for many folks, is integrated into the static site. The next wave that is already getting red hot is to use video clips on your site and in articles.

9. Creating a website, writing a blog, and developing a presence in article directories are all fantastic ways to build a writers brand.
With new opportunities becoming available on the Web every day, what else do you suggest a writer get involved in to develop their skill and personal brand?

As stated previously, videos are the next big thing. YouTube has created a culture of folks that want to watch instead of read. Internet radio and podcasting has created a culture of folks that want to listen on their iPod while they’re doing other things, like driving. So, it’s not enough to simply deliver great content now. The culture is demanding that it be entertaining and/or convenient too. Fortunately, there are lots of free applications that allow folks to create this type of content for themselves. Because of that, most of what’s on YouTube, internet radio, and podcasts is not produced by professionals nor is it always edited. It has a genuine, almost folk-feel to it. And that’s the key. The reason this low-budget production content is so well received is because of the cultural shift away from hard-sell marketing tactics to soft-sell, people oriented ways of building relationships between the seller and their target audience. It’s a natural extension of Web 2.0 and social media marketing, which is credited with creating two-way conversations between seller and buyer.

I’m moving in that direction with Just the FAQs. I introduced a podcast series a few months ago. Video articles and instructions are next on the to-do list.

10. You’ve already created several fantastic resources but I know most writers often think ahead to the next mountain. What are you working on now? Will you be adding new eBooks to the “Just the FAQs” series?

Besides the videos, I’ll be exploring WordPress this summer. My background was in enterprise level sites for businesses, but WordPress offers a lot of advantages for authors, musicians, and artists. I want to learn it at a developer’s level so I can create custom templates and widgets as well as add other functionality to it that’s not included with the original code. I’ll be expanding the eBook series to include the same type of information for WordPress that I’ve already done for Blogger, which is a much better platform for a small business to integrate a blog into their existing site very inexpensively without a huge learning curve. I’ll also be expanding the advanced section of the classes with this information too. I’ve considered doing a free teleclass at least once a month to help folks get started with the basics because I work with several editors and other marketing guru folks who need a little help getting their clients up to speed with the technology so they can help the client develop the rest of their marketing strategy.

Thank you so much for your time, MaAnna.

Thank you for the opportunity. You have great questions and it was a pleasure to answer them. I hope your readers find them informative.

MaAnna is visiting us at WRA today so if you have more questions of your own please leave them in the comments.

Each time a blog visitor comments on any or all of the blog stops, they will be entered in a random drawing for two free Just the FAQs classes. Not only that, but every commenter is a winner and will receive a copy of MaAnna Stephenson’s e-book the Quick Step Guide. If you haven’t already read her books, be sure to pick up the series at MaAnna’s Site, Just The FAQs.

An Interview with Christina Katz, author of Get Known Before the Book Deal: Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform

Q: What is a platform?
CK: Long story short: Your platform communicates your expertise to others, and it works all the time so you don’t have to. Your platform includes your Web presence, any public speaking you do, the classes you teach, the media contacts you’ve established, the articles you’ve published, and any other means you currently have for making your name and your future books known to a viable readership. If others already recognize your expertise on a given topic or for a specific audience or both, then that is your platform.

A platform-strong writer is a writer with influence. “Get Known” explains in plain English, without buzzwords, how any writer can stand out from the crowd of other writers and get the book deal. The book clears an easy-to-follow path through a formerly confusing forest of ideas so any writer can do the necessary platform development they need to do.

Q: Why is platform development important for writers today?
CK: Learning about and working on a solid platform plan gives writers an edge. Agents and editors have known this for years and have been looking for platform-strong writers and getting them book deals. But from the writer’s point-of-view, there has not been enough information on platform development to help unprepared writers put their best platform forward.

Now suddenly, there is a flood of information on platform, not all necessarily comprehensive, useful or well organized for folks who don’t have a platform yet. Writers can promote themselves in a gradual, grounded manner without feeling like they are selling out. I do it, I teach other writers to do it, I write about it on an ongoing basis, and I encourage all writers to heed the trend. And hopefully, I communicate how in a practical, step-by-step manner that can serve any writer. Because ultimately, before you actively begin promoting yourself, platform development is an inside job requiring concentration, thoughtfulness and a consideration of personal values.

Q: How did you come to write Get Known Before the Book Deal?
CK: I already had a lot of momentum going when I got the deal for a very specific audience. I wrote a column on the topic for the Willamette Writer’s newsletter. Then I started speaking on platform. When I gave my presentation, “Get Known Before the Book Deal”, at the Writer’s Digest/BEA Writer’s Conference in May 2007, Phil Sexton, one of my publisher’s sales guys, saw it and suggested making the concept into a book. Coincidentally, I was trying to come up with an idea for my second book at that time and had just struck out with what I thought were my three best ideas. My editor, Jane Friedman agreed with Phil. That was two votes from people sitting on the pub board. They converted the others with the help of my proposal, and Get Known got the green light.

Q: Why was a book on platform development needed?
CK: Writers often underestimate how important platform is and they often don’t leverage the platform they already have enough. At every conference I presented, I took polls and found that about 50 percent of attendees expressed a desire for a clearer understanding of platform. Some were completely in the dark about it, even though they were attending a conference in hopes of landing a book deal. Since book deals are granted based largely on the impressiveness of a writer’s platform, I noticed a communication gap that needed to be addressed.

My intention was that Get Known would be the book every writer would want to read before attending a writer’s conference, and that it would increase any writer’s chances of landing a book deal whether they pitched in-person or by query. As I wrote the book, I saw online how this type of information was being offered as “insider secrets” at outrageous prices. No one should have to pay thousands of dollars for the information they can find in my book for the price of a paperback! Seriously. You can even ask your library to order it and read it for free.

Q: What is the key idea behind Get Known Before the Book Deal?
CK: Getting known doesn’t take a lot of money, but it does take an in-depth understanding of platform, and then the investment of time, skills and consistent effort to build one. Marketing experience and technological expertise are also not necessary. I show how to avoid the biggest time and money-waster, which is not understanding who your platform is for and why – and hopefully save writers from the confusion and inertia that can result from either information overload or not taking the big picture into account before they jump into writing for traditional publication.

Often writers with weak platforms are over-confident that they can impress agents and editors, while others with decent platforms are under-confident or aren’t stressing their platform-strength enough. Writers have to wear so many hats these days, we can use all the help we can get. Platform development is a muscle, and the more you use it, the stronger it gets. Anyone can do it, but most don’t or won’t because they either don’t understand what is being asked for, or they haven’t overcome their own resistance to the idea. Get Known offers a concrete plan that can help any writer make gains in the rapidly changing and increasingly competitive publishing landscape.

Q: What is the structure of the book and why did you choose it?
CK: Writer Mama was written in small, easy-to-digest chunks so busy new moms could stick it in a diaper bag and read it in the nooks and crannies of the day. Get Known is a bit more prosaic, especially in the early chapters. Most of the platform books already out there were only for authors, not writers or aspiring authors. To make platform evolution easy to comprehend, I had to dial the concepts back to the beginning and talk about what it’s like to try and find your place in the world as an author way before you’ve signed a contract, even before you’ve written a book proposal. No one had done that before in a book for writers. I felt writers needed a context in which to chart a course towards platform development that would not be completely overwhelming.

Introducing platform concepts to writers gives them the key information they need to succeed at pitching an agent either via query or in-person, making this a good book for a writer to read before writing a book proposal. Get Known has three sections: section one is mostly stories and cautionary tales, section two has a lot of to-do lists any writer should be able to use, and section three is how to articulate your platform clearly and concisely so you won’t waste a single minute wondering if you are on the right track.

Q: At the front of Get Known, you discuss four phases of the authoring process. What are they?

CK: First comes the platform development and building phase. Second comes the book proposal development phase (or if you are writing fiction, the book-writing phase). Third, comes the actual writing of the book (for fiction writers this is likely the re-writing of the book). And finally, once the book is published, comes the book marketing and promoting phase.

Many first-time authors scramble once they get a book deal if they haven’t done a thorough job on the platform development phase. Writers who already have a platform have influence with a fan base, and they can leverage that influence no matter what kind of book they write. Writing a book is a lot easier if you are not struggling to find readers for the book at the same time. Again, agents and editors have known this for a long time.

Q: What are some common platform mistakes writers make?
CK: Here are a few:

• They don’t spend time clarifying who they are to others.
• They don’t zoom in specifically on what they offer.
• They confuse socializing with platform development.
• They think about themselves too much and their audience not enough.
• They don’t precisely articulate all they offer so others get it immediately.
• They don’t create a plan before they jump online.
• They undervalue the platform they already have.
• They are overconfident and think they have a solid platform when they have only made a beginning.
• They become exhausted from trying to figure out platform as they go.
• They pay for “insider secrets” instead of trusting their own instincts.
• They blog like crazy for six months and then look at their bank accounts and abandon the process as going nowhere.

I’ll stop there. Suffice it to say that many writers promise publishers they have the ability to make readers seek out and purchase their book. But when it comes time to demonstrate this ability, they can’t deliver.

My mission is to empower writers to be 100 percent responsible for their writing career success and stop looking to others to do their promotional work for them. Get Known shows writers of every stripe how to become the writer who can not only land a book deal, but also influence future readers to plunk down ten or twenty bucks to purchase their book. It all starts with a little preparation and planning. The rest unfolds from there.

Q: Couldn’t any author have written this book? Why you?

CK: I have built a career over the past decade empowering writers. I’ve developed and built my own platform as a writing-for-traditional-publication specialist, and I’ve worked with others as a writing and platform-development instructor. Many of the people I’ve been working with are landing book deals and while the other hundred-or-so writers I work with a year are developing their skills, I notice patterns of behavior—what leads to success, where writers get stuck, and how I can be helpful in these rapidly changing times in the industry.

I’ve witnessed too many writers, who were off to a great start, hopping online and quickly becoming very lost. I started to write about platform in Writer Mama, How To Raise A Writing Career Alongside Your Kids, but I quickly noticed that more details on platform development were desperately needed. My platform is based on helping others. I have a vested interest in seeing the people I work with—and those who read my book—succeed. Writers are my tribe.

Christina Katz is the author of Get Known Before the Book Deal: Use Your Personal Strengths to Grow an Author Platform (Writer’s Digest Books). She started her platform “for fun” seven years ago and ended up on “Good Morning America.” Christina teaches e-courses on platform development and writing nonfiction for publication. Her students are published in national magazines and land agents and book deals.

Christina has been encouraging reluctant platform builders via her e-zines for five years, has written hundreds of articles for national, regional, and online publications, and is a monthly columnist for the Willamette Writer. A popular speaker at writing conferences, writing programs, libraries, and bookstores, she hosts the Northwest Author Series in Wilsonville, Oregon. She is also the author of Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids (Writer’s Digest Books).

One of the most exhilarating choices you may make in your life is to become ‘a writer’. There are many images and expectations about the writer’s lifestyle. It can be filled with joy and steeped in the wonder of language and expression. Writer’s have the opportunity to give something to the world. Writing is a profession often connected with the freedom of doing what you truly love for the rest of your life, but is it really?

Myth 1: Writing is like paid vacation.

Being a writer isn’t about having a book on the shelves of Barnes and Noble; it’s not about signings, tours, or discussions with your editor. Being a writer is about writing. You’re going to face occasions when you are challenged. You’ll have days when you doubt your ability to succeed and you’ll wallow in the misery of failure, not because you’ve failed but because you aren’t where you expect yourself to be. Writing is work, and it’s hard work at that.

Myth 2: Writer’s Enjoy Solitary Lives.

A common misconception is that writers are hermits. While the actual act of writing is often one best done in contented mental (not necessarily physical) solitude writing is about people and life. You can’t be a great writer if you don’t immerse yourself in your subject, in your readers. You can’t live in a black hole, never having seen the sky and write about the life of a bird. You have to live, meet people, get to know who your audience is, and write for that world, not yourself and the earthworms.

Myth 3: Writing is easy.

If you’ve chosen to be a writer because writing is easy you’re in for a shock. I don’t think any professional writer would ever say that this career isn’t more challenging than any other they’ve had in their lifetime. Writing is hard. The difficulty is a part of what makes the best writers so good.

Myth 4: Writers are rich.

This is one I really wish were true. The truth is, only a very select few, very good and very lucky writers ever get rich. Beginning writers make very little money. Many writers never make great money. In the early days of your writing career you’ll probably need a day job and you’ll probably still eat out of a can and scrimp for toilet paper.

Myth 5: Writers know everything.

Yes, writers come to know a lot but I’ve never met a writer who thought they had learned enough. Curiosity seems to be a requirement for writers. We are constantly striving to learn; we research, we study, we take courses, we workshop, we read, and read, and read. We thirst for knowledge and explore. We take chances and we fail, a lot. Writing is a journeyman’s life. There are no masters and it is impossible to perfect the craft (that doesn’t stop us trying).

Myth 6: Writers are always relaxed and happy.

There will be good days and bad days. There are days when we could sing from rooftops and others when every word feels dragged (slowly and painfully) from the depths of our souls. Writers tend to feel everything to a thousandth of a degree. Every tear is a thunderstorm, every kiss a rainbow. It’s important to allow yourself to feel every extreme and every emotion because these are vital for great writing. The best writers are the ones who can bleed onto the page, dragging themselves through every heartbeat, reliving every moment and create it with such intense reality that readers feel every beat as if it were their own heart pounding.

Writers are a kooky bunch of people. We come from all walks of life and each of us brings something unique and amazing to the world’s literature. The only people who will truly understand you are fellow writers. While your family shakes their head at this odd creature that inhabits their home we smile at our own families who are doing exactly the same thing.

It is a wondrous, heart wrenching life to lead. You’ll love it and hate it in every breath but you never really give it away. Our writing isn’t really ours to give up. It’s like a calling for the priesthood. Being a writer is about being who you are.

One of the most notable things I realized while reading “Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds: Indispensable wisdom and cautionary advice for writers” is that its author, George Singleton, must have a great deal of ‘STUFF’ on his desk. I wonder how he manages to write between his can of WD-40* (a reminder that writing daily prevents rusting), his compass* (because “stories and novels need direction”), his grappling hook* (“to remind him that every foray into pulling stories and novels from the depths doesn’t always succeed”), and the several other trinkets he has gathered. Somehow, he does manage to write, and has turned his pen to over 100 published stories and two novels.

While I don’t think that a cluttered desk is essential, the points George makes with his “Essential Tools” are important to remember. Beyond these tools, George includes sage advice on how to approach being a writer and the rocks beneath the muddy surface of the publishing industry.

Dead Meat

Every last story should be considered dead meat. If anyone ever asks, “What’s your favorite story or novel that you’ve written?” it should be what you’re working on at the moment, for you are always getting better, and striving.

~ Pep Talk: 98 (Dead Meat) from Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds by George Singleton

Singleton is an opinionated writer with firm ideas of what being a writer is and how writing should be done. In some respects his advice could be controversial. How would Starbucks survive the current economical downturn if writers and wanna-be writers remained at home in their shoeboxes rather than downing caramel lattes?

How many writers would remain obscure if not for their blogs? Indeed, one might wonder how George Singleton can justify his Blog Tour this month given his poor opinion of bloggers and the “bloodsucking parasites” we carry?

Despite getting my hackles firmly spiked and my own opinions leaping to the defensive, “Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds” has its mix of great content. For authors this book is worth reading.

George has a strident voice, he knows how to hook a reader, how to influence their thoughts, and he has done his time in the trenches of fiction. Much of his advice and wisdom has rich value to new writers. More experienced writers will find themselves laughing out loud (to strange glances from family) at the ring of truth in some parts of this book.

Getting to the Marrow

A butcher might argue that there’s a relationship between meat’s taste and its proximity to the bone. The closer to the marrow, the better the flavor. I don’t know how to complete this analogy for vegetarians. Maybe the center cuts of beets, carrots, and tomatoes offer more excitement for the consumer. Let’s pretend that’s the case.

In stories, the closer to the marrow a writer can get, the more enjoyment a reader will receive.

~ Pep Talk: 150 (Getting to the Marrow) from Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds by George Singleton

“Pep Talks, Warnings & Screeds” is worth reading on any road of your writing journey. It is a valuable mulch to cultivate your future as a writer. Go forward into each new pep talk, warning, and screed with an open mind but allow your own experiences and preferences to discern which lessons you will take to heart. You’ll enjoy the ideas George expresses, and be eager to get back to your own writing.