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It was great to spend an evening with a bunch of writers talking, laughing and networking at the Writer's Pen & Grill last night. I like these social evenings because we never know where the conversations will go: a little gossip, a little politics (the Nevada presidential caucus was last week), a little brainstorming, and lots of information and support. If you'll be in Las Vegas on February 27th, add us to your calendar. If you're not in the Vegas area, why not plan a social evening with some of your local writers. ~Gregory |
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January 24, 2008 |
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Gregory A. Kompes, Editor |
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ISSUE #162 |
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February 6 — Tell Our Life Stories Free Teleconference — 5pm Take part in the Tell Our Life Stories FREE teleconference to learn how to start telling your own life story. Hosted by Margaret Randall and Jay Speyerer, this FREE Teleconference will help you write your stories! Wednesday, February 6, (5 p.m. Pacific) To receive the phone number and passcode send an email request to margaret@tellourlifestories.com
February 23 — Book Fair — 2pm-4pm
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We've heard it over and over: the true work for a writer begins after their book is published. Some writers say it's harder work to sell books than write them. I have to agree, being a bestselling author took months of work that included writing articles and press releases, talking to radio hosts, building mailing lists, stuffing envelopes, emailing, and so much more. So, when a good idea comes up, just like my cats hearing the can opener attacking a tuna can, I stand at attention and give a nice "Meooow!" What's the latest, great idea? Write your book and give it away. Doesn't sound like a great way to make money. After all, why would anyone getting something for free actually choose to buy it? Well, the key is, you don't give it up all at once, but instead, in small bites, a little at a time. If you've written a book that's interesting and enticing, your audience won't be able to wait for each installment, they'll want the whole thing to consume all at once. This isn't really a new idea. Think about the last time you sampled ice cream with one of those little spoons at Baskin and Robins. They're happy to give you that sample taste, because they know if you like it, you'll buy a cone or a sundae or even take an extra pint home with you for latter. Writers have been doing a version of this for a long time, too. We've all read excerpts of novels in magazines and sample chapters of our favorite authors from their websites. Charles Dickens is probably one of the most notorious at the practice of giving it away to get folks to buy. He offered many of his famous novels up through magazine serials. He was a bestselling author in his day (and remains of the world's bestselling authors). Here are a few modern day examples. Lars Clausen, author of "Straight Into Gay America," offers his entire book to his list, one page a day. Cyndia Depre, author of "Amanda's Rib," is sending her new novel "Oblivious" a chapter a month. I send out highlights related to my bestseller "50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live" every seven days. Most people don't buy the first time they see something. Current statistics say it takes seven to ten times of seeing a product before a consumer is ready to buy it. By giving your book away in small bites, you have an opportunity to get your product in front of your audience repeatedly. There are several other advantages, too. Letting people read your work allows them to get to know your style, topic, and characters. It also builds trust and respectability for your readers because you've delivered what you said you would. And, best of all, you're building a list that you can contact when your next book comes out. So, how does it work in our electronic world? First, you offer your book to your website visitors in exchange for their email address. Then, you send a small taste of your book (a page, a chapter, a highlight) on a regular schedule to people on your list. Each installment includes an offer for readers to buy the entire book (plus other books you've written). You'll need some way to gather those email addresses. I know people who do it manually through their own email program, but this can be time consuming and impracticable. A better alternative is to use an autoresponder. Autoresponders collect those addresses for you and automatically deal with subscribes and unsubscribes. There are even free versions, like the one offered from GetResponse.com, that you can try. With an autoresponder, you load up all your pages or chapters as emails and those emails are sent out automatically on a prescribed schedule (every day, every week, every month, etc.) As your new readers get into your book, hopefully they won't be able to wait for the next installment. Their impatience and desire for more will lead them to place that book order. Offer your audience a free taste and you'll see your book sales increase. |
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Getresponse is my autoresponder of choice. The program offers all the bells and whistles, has great technical support and tutorials, plus, it’s affordable. Getresponse also has a free-trial version so you can kick the tires a bit and see if it’s the autoresponder for you. |
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1. Did you choose the writing profession or did it choose you? The craft of writing got a hold of me at age 15, I felt I hadn’t anything out of my life. And I writing was what I needed.
2. What is your background? (education, work, etc.) Born and raised in Dothan, Alabama, moved to Orlando, Florida. I started writing a year and a half later.
3. When did you ‘know’ you were a writer? After I wrote my first short story at age 15 about The Lost Continent of Atlantis in January 2001. There was the special feeling to it.
4. How would you describe your style of writing? Some have told me I have a good grasp on the pinpoints of a story, and therefore have a good handle on structuring the story and laying it out. Others say my writing is atmospheric and vivid with a certain feel or attitude for the setting.
5. What is your writing process? I write about 500 words at a time. Starting with a 100 word paragraph, then another 100 words involving 10 sentences of dialogue. Then another 100 word paragraph followed by 10 sentences of dialogue, and one last 100 paragraph. I then repeat the process once more to complete the chapter. The process is then repeated again and again for the rest of the chapters until the book is finished.
6. What was your path to publication? I had been writing short stories about and pursuing film and television ideas involving Atlantis for 3 and a 1/2 years with no success. Then switched to writing a novel involving a more realistic story. As a result, Dothan was published by the now defunct Epstein Publishing in December 2004.
7. What is your favorite self-marketing idea? Creating and marketing movie trailers for books, a marketing technique in publishing which has caught fire with many people, but the publishing industry still has mixed feelings over their effect on book sales.
8. What are the biggest surprises you’ve encountered as a writer? Learning how publishing has to compete with film and television, how writing needs to capture the picture within the story because there’s nothing to visual to see, as a result you are a screenwriter, filmmaker, and producer while writing. When it’s time to publish, your still the screenwriter. But the editor becomes the filmmaker since he’s the one bringing your vision to publication, and the publisher becomes the producer as their money is being financed into your novel in order to get published.
9. How do you inspire yourself? What are your sources of creativity? With just about anything. Film, Television, The Internet, anything. Anything looking back at the past or looking towards the future. Anything light and comedic or dark an tragic. And above all, anything involving mythology and the big picture. |
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10. What is your proudest writer moment? It’s a toss up between writing my first story about Atlantis and Dothan getting published for the first time. Writing your first story and publishing your first novel are both special moments for writers, but in different ways. It’s hard to explain.
11. What’s the best advice you were given about writing? God! There’s so much! I’ve learned it’s about how you write and why, not what you write, and the importance of structure within a story. A short story begins with an inciting icedent and a turning point, then proceeds with a small pinch reminding us of the story’s plot with another turning point in the middle changing the entire direction of the story. Another small pinch as a reminder of the plot followed by a final turning point before the big showdown at the end.
A novel is structured by opposing walks of life, each of the first two chapters focusing on one of these walks of life. The third chapter brings these two walks of life together, and moves the story foward. As the novel progresses, one becomes the protagonist by having a goal while the other tries to stand in the way, and becomes the antagonist. They also head for a showdown at the end.
12. What is your most embarrassing writer moment? Being released from my first book deal, only to have the publisher go out of business six months later. And having to go without a book deal for almost a year.
13. What business challenges have you faced as a writer? Getting published, and not getting paid much while trying to write screenplays for film and television which is where the money is, but not able to get work over there.
14. What is your writer life philosophy? Write and publish as much you can because opportunities here today, may not be here tomorrow.
15. When you’re not writing what do you do for fun? I do what I can for fun.
16. Who do you like to read? Just about anything.
17. What’s your advice for new writers? Writing is a craft so learn as much as you can, but publishing is a business, so be prepared to go through a lot of BS.
18. What are you currently working on? Finishing up my Atlantis novel, and awaiting the edits for my new collection of short stories The Young South and the re-release of Dothan. Both to be released by Aspen Mountain Press.
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ISSN 1554-0804 |
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