Another week has passed and I have combed my email and social media for some more Writerly articles. I hope you are enjoying these posts and you are finding useful links. This is Writerly Round-Up (19 – 25 May). If you click on the header above the blurb you will be whisked away to the website containing the entire article.
Dialogue: Abused and Misused by Joni M. Fisher
Savvy Authors Blog
People recognize terrible dialogue when they hear it in movies, or on television or read it in books. It comes off wooden, robotic, confusing, lecturing, boring or in some way artificial sounding. Examples abound in B-grade movies, comic books, soap operas, and probably in the last book you refused to continue reading. Don’t be that writer.
Dialogue is NOT conversation put on paper.
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Writerly Round-Up (19 – 25 May)
How to Prepare for Self-Publishing: Editing
by Catherine Dunn
This is part one of a six-part series.
As a self-published author, it’s your responsibility to make sure your book is as high-quality as it can be, and an editor is an indispensable resource who can help make your book look professional instead of amateurish.
Getting off to a Good Start
Ask your peers—other writers—for their opinions. Join local writing groups. Meet writers online and ask them to have a look at one or two chapters for you. Don’t be shy about getting feedback from your fellow writers.
Every writer is focused on her own work, so make sure you give something back to the community by returning the favor for others.
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The Author’s Guide to Book Marketing: Part 1
by Matt Kaye
As soon as you start researching book marketing, you enter a world filled with hollow buzzwords, misleading get-rich-quick strategies, and heaping doses of snake oil. I know I’m talking with an author who has encountered these when I hear things like, “I heard I should ditch Twitter and start building up an email newsletter,” or “I found a PR person who promises they can make my book an Amazon bestseller,” or “I was told I should reserve a budget of $x for Facebook ads.”
My response to these comments is usually, “Maybe, but…” These might be good suggestions, or they might be a complete waste of time and money—it all depends on the book, the author and the readership. I’ve found that there’s no shortage of advice on tactics (some good, some bad), but very little on strategy and planning.
Book marketing isn’t one-size-fits-all. What you can do to market a book is pretty much infinite, and without a clear strategy and plan you can easily waste a ton of time and go broke drowning in details. There’s no obscure outlet, hidden ad campaign, special pitch or magic button that will instantly launch your book into mega-bestsellerdom. The reality is, it’s research, strategic planning, creative thinking, coordination, focus, experimentation, asking (lots of asking), getting rejected, and continuing to plow forward.
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Writerly Round-Up (19 – 25 May)
What is a Submission Packet and Why Do I Need One?
by Sally Franklin Christie
Authors need to have a Submission Packet. The infamous Query Letter is only the start of this Packet. The following components go into a file on or off of your computer called the Submission Packet.
- The Query Letter
- The Submission Synopsis
- Sample Chapters
- The Cover Letter
- The Manuscript
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Amazon KDP and Kindle Unlimited: What It Means for Authors and Publishers
by Chloe
Kindle Unlimited & KDP Select: A History
Since the inception of KDP Select, there has always been a KDP Select Global Fund, which is a pot of money that goes to authors whose books are downloaded for free through Amazon’s eBook programs. Authors who enrolled their eBooks in KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) Select prior to the launch of KU could have their books downloaded for free by Kindle owners who were allotted one free eBook per month through the Kindle Owners Lending Library. In the days prior to KU, the Global Fund totaled around $1 million, and was divided proportionally amongst the authors who had their books downloaded…. (more on site)
How Do Authors Drive KU Borrows?
The same marketing tactics that work for selling books also work for driving KU borrows:
- Promote your title to readers (through your email list, Facebook or Google ads, features on deal sites)
- Drive enough sales or download volume to rise in the bestseller charts
- Activity on the title spurs Amazon’s algorithm to recommend your book to other readers with similar tastes
- Halo sales continue after your promotion has run; KU borrows turn into KENP read
- Run another promotion 90 days later once momentum declines
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Wow, another Writerly Round-Up has come and gone. Drop by next week to see what goes on in my Writerly World.
Don’t touch anything sharp.