Posts in category Writing

Plan a Booktour: The First Steps

Oct22
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin

You’ve taken the initial steps to begin your book marketing journey. The first rung on your marketing ladder is to create a quality product, in the case of an author, that would be a book. You need to create an engaging story, be part of a critique group, make sure the manuscript gets edited/proofread, and have a knock-out cover.

Creating the book might be considered Research and Development under the Marketing umbrella, and the foundation of a marketing strategy.

The second step or rung on the marketing ladder is the actual book promotion: creating a platform and brand for you and your book. This is accomplished through visibility which includes: creating a website, adding content to your blog on a regular basis, doing article marketing on a regular basis, and garnering guest blog spots on quality sites, among other strategies.

Once all the above is underway and your book is going to be available for sale, even if it’s for pre-sale, now is the time to go on a virtual booktour.

Plan a BookTour

A virtual booktour can be an effective promotional strategy, and you can initiate one on your own, or pay a publicist or booktour promotion service to do it for you. Obviously, depending on your financial situation, you will need to decide which will work for you.

The advantages of hiring either a publicist or booktour service is their wider audience reach. If the service is a quality one, it will have quality sites for featuring you and your book. When choosing a publicist or tour service find out exactly what you’ll be getting for your money. You might also ask around for recommendations.

You can check out these three booktour promotion services:

The World of Ink Author/Book Tours
http://storiesforchildrenpublishing.com/WorldofInkTours.aspx
Pump Up Your Book Online Book Publicity
http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/
Author Marketing Experts
http://www.amarketingexpert.com/

You can check them out or do a search for “book promotion,” or “virtual booktour.”

On the other hand, if you’re intent on initiating and managing your own tour you will need to post messages in all your social networks asking for bloggers to participate. If you are active in your groups, and have been paying-it-forward, this shouldn’t be a problem.

Try to aim for bloggers who have followers in your target market. While most writers belong to writing groups, try to expand your reach to groups and bloggers who actually have readers who will be interested in your book.

For example if your book is targeted at the middle grade crowd or children who read chapter books, you might look for bloggers who are involved in parenting groups, grandparent groups, teacher groups, etc.

You should begin this process at least a month or two (two is better) before you want to have your booktour. It may take a while to get all the hosts on board, decide who will feature what, have reviews prepared, answer interview questions, prepare a press release, and so on. Give yourself enough time so you’re not rushing.

Once the Booktour Hosts are Booked

For the tour of my children’s middle-grade fantasy book Walking Through Walls, as each blogger accepted my request for hosts, I created a list of their names, the dates I’d be on their sites, and what would be presented on each host’s site: a book review, an interview, an article (with the title), or a combination.

A note here: Offer a variety of content during your booktour. While your initial thought might be to promote, promote, promote, readers will quickly get tired of reading review after review, or umpteen interviews. Offer writing and marketing articles in addition to the reviews and interviews, and alternate their postings. Try to keep the tour fresh.

For the interviews and articles, you can add your promo at the end of the content. You might include a brief review, synopsis, even a favorable email a reviewer sent you (just be sure you get the person’s permission first).

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Other Book Promotion Articles:

SEO and Marketing – Basic Tips and Definitions
5 Marketing Reminders for 2011
An Effective Book Marketing Strategy: Joint Ventures
Book Promotion: 20 Strategies that will Broaden Your Reach – Part 1

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PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE, and SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, A Writer’s World. You’ll get two e-books if you do!

And to be sure you don’t miss any posts here, simply subscribe to my blog (RSS feed).

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Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses,Marketers, and Individuals
Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional and experienced with keywords and SEO. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer

Karen Books Page:
http://www.karencioffi.com/karen-cioffis-books-and-e-books/

http://KarenCioffi.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
http://WritersOnTheMove.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
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Posted in Book Marketing - Tagged , , , ,

A Ghostwriter: 5 Features That Can Help Build Your Business

Oct15
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin

A Ghostwriter: 5 Features That Can Help Build Your Business

A ghostwriter provides services for different types of people, marketers, and businesses, and on a number of topics.

She works silently, behind the scenes and creates whitepapers, newsletters, e-books, informational products, articles, posts, stories, and other forms of content for a business or marketer seeking to:

•    Create and/or build your company’s platform visibility
•    Generate and increase website traffic
•    Provide instruction/information for employees or clients/customers
•    Offer an informational gift as an ‘ethical bribe’ to subscribe to your company’s mailing list
•    Create landing pages for your company or products
•    Create product descriptions and guides

The list goes on and on. But, let’s breakdown some of the uses of a ghostwriter, and her benefit to businesses.

A Ghostwriter is a Must-Have Tool

According to tracking by the U.S. Department of Commerce, e-commerce grew 17.6 percent in the first quarter of 2011. Within those first three months, Americans spent $43 billion online. And, the projection for 2012 is that e-commerce will increase another 11.3 percent.

Based on trends and statistics, this growing e-commerce market will continue to grow.

1. Building Your Brand and Visibility with a Ghostwriter

So, it’s easy to see that with e-commerce rapidly growing a ghostwriter is a must-have business tool for marketers or business owners who need to provide regularly updated content on their site/s and in their newsletters or informational emails. This marketing strategy is known as inbound marketing. It helps build your platform, creates and increases traffic to your site, and will help increase your mailing list.

Creating content for businesses is actually a busy area for ghostwriters. Marketers are very aware of the importance of having effective and fresh content on the sites they are managing. Businesses hire a writer to write a set number of post/articles per week or month for a certain amount of money per article. Some businesses may want one to two articles per day; others may want one a week.

If you are hiring a ghostwriter for this capacity, be sure she knows about keywords and SEO. The point of hiring someone to create valuable content for your site/s is to have that content picked up in the search engines, which in turn will help searchers (potential customers/clients) find your site/s.

And, if the work involves rewriting articles, the ghostwriter must know the source article’s duplicate content score. Search engines frown upon duplicate content, so it’s the writer’s job to make the article different enough so it is perceived as new.

Maintaining and increasing visibility is essential to authors, writers, and businesses. Keeping up with blog posts and guest article writing is an important marketing tool for all, well at least for those who are trying to sell their products or services.

2. A Ghostwriter Provides Informational Content

Information rules in today’s ever changing world. Providing informative and/or instructive content to your staff, customers, and potential customer is now essential, especially with business transparency being a desirable feature that employees and customers look for.

While businesses and marketers can generate their own content, a ghostwriter frees up company time for more productive and revenue generating work.

‘Informational gifts’ is another content product that businesses need to be aware of. Of the thousands of websites within your industry available for customers to find and subscribe to, why should they choose yours? That’s where an ‘ethical bribe’ comes in to play.

Providing an informative report or e-book with valuable information that your potential customer will appreciate tends to motivate that individual, company, or visitor to click on your opt-in box, thereby increasing your mailing list. And, every business knows the importance of having a mailing list – it’s crucial with the increasing e-commerce trends.

It’s this offering of valuable and quality information that helps build a relationship with your site’s visitors and keeps them coming back. This ongoing relationship will eventually lead to an increased mailing list and sales.

3. A Ghostwriter for Your Business’ Landing Pages and Products

The first impression an online searcher – potential customer searching for your product or business type – will have of a business, is its landing page. Obviously, a business needs to have an attractive, quick loading, SEO friendly, and informative page.

Now, while a ghostwriter will most likely not be a web designer, she can create the needed content for the site, content that will engage the visitor and motivate him to subscribe to the mailing list and make contact with the business.

The mailing list is what generates long-lasting relationships and sales. Through the mailing list you can offer information, along with product and/or business promotion. Marketing experts advise though, to offer a 75 to 25 percent ratio of information to promotion.

Again, information is what people want today; they want to know how to find a solution to their problem or need, and they want to be informed. If you provide that, you will have sales.

Along with creating effective landing page content, a ghostwriter can produce product descriptions and guides. Through the information you provide and additional research, she can create informative and customer appreciated content, thereby fostering customer loyalty.

4. A Ghostwriter – Copywriting and Keywords

In addition to writing articles, newsletters, e-books, reports, and other content, a ghostwriter should know copywriting. While this skill isn’t essential for some aspects of the job, it is important in the event a client requires projects such as landing pages, email marketing, product guides, articles, or other.

And, being aware of SEO and keywords will help the ghostwriter create traffic effective content, leading potential subscribers and customers to the business’ website.

Knowing copywriting and SEO is a surefire way for a ghostwriter to increase her value to business clients.

5. A Ghostwriter Must be a Good Writer

Lastly, the number one quality a ghostwriter needs to have is being a good writer. It’s also a good idea for the ghostwriter to specialize in a couple of different areas – this also increases her value to specific clients.

If you are thinking of hiring a ghostwriter, you might ask for samples and/or testimonials. Note here: testimonials from ghostwriting clients may be difficult, if not impossible to come by . . . for obvious reasons. If the ghostwriter can’t provide testimonials, it’s important to understand why and ask for writing samples instead.

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Related Articles:

The Ghostwriter and the Individual
Article Directories and Ghostwriters – Strategies to Save You Time

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PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE, and SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, A Writer’s World. You’ll get two e-books if you do!

And to be sure you don’t miss any posts here, simply subscribe to my blog (RSS feed).

If you’d like to check out my books, go to Karen’s Books Page:
http://www.karencioffi.com/karen-cioffis-books-and-e-books/

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Marketers
Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional and experienced with keywords and SEO. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Posted in Business writing, Ghostwriter, SEO - Tagged , , , ,

Writing Books for Children – Submissions to Contract to Book Promotion to Writing Career

Sep30
2011 1 Comment Written by admin

Writing Books for Children – Submissions to Contract to Book Promotion to Writing Career

The foundation of writing books for children, or any genre for that matter, is to learn the craft of writing. In regard to being a children’s author you will need to learn the specific rules and tricks to create appropriate stories with age-appropriate words and storylines.

Once you have taken the time to hone your craft and have critiqued, revised, and edited your manuscript to a polished state, it’s on to the next phases of the traditional children’s writing path: submissions, promotion, and a writing career.

1. Writing Books for Children – Submissions

Before you think about submitting your work anywhere, be sure you’ve completed the necessary steps to learn the craft of writing. You’re manuscript needs to be as polished as you can possibly get it.

Submissions can fall into two categories: those to publishers and those to agents. In regard to submitting to agents, in a Spring 2011 webinar presented by Writer’s Digest, agent Mary Kole advised to “research agents.” This means to find out what type of agent they are in regard to the genre they work with and the agent platform they provide: do they coddle their authors, do they crack the whip, are they aggressive, passive, involved, or complacent. Know what you’re getting into before querying an agent, and especially before signing a contract.

Here are a couple of sites you can visit to learn about agents:

http://agentquery.com
http://www.guidetoliteraryagents.com/blog/

The same advice works for submitting to publishers also; research publishers before submitting to them. Know which genres of children’s books they handle and the type of storylines they’re looking for.

Whether submitting to a publisher or an agent, always follow the guidelines and always personalize the query. There may be times the guidelines do not provide the name of the editor to send the query to, but if you can find that information, use it.

According to Mary Kole, it’s also important to know how to pitch your story. This entails finding the story’s hook. Agents and publishers also want to know what the book’s selling points will be and what successful books it’s similar to. In addition, they will expect to be told what your marketing strategy will be. It’s a good idea to create an online presence and platform before you begin submissions; let the agents and publishers know you will actively market your book.

Along with the story’s hook, you need to convey: who your main character is and what he/she is about; the action that drives the story; the main character’s obstacle, and if the main character doesn’t overcome the obstacle, what’s at stake.

When writing books for children, Ms. Kole recommends reading “the back of published books” to see how they briefly and effectively convey the essence of the story. This will give you an idea of how to create your own synopsis.

When querying, keep your pitch short and professional, and keep your bio brief and relevant. You will need to grab the editor or agent and make them want to read your manuscript.

Writing Books for Children: Four tools you can use to help find a publisher or agent:

•    Writers Market: Where and How to Sell What You Write
•    Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market: Over 700 listings for book publisher’s, magazines, agents, art reps, and more
•    Guide to Literary Agents: Where and How to Find the Right Agents to Represent Your Work
•    WritersMarket.com: Online resource to help you sell what you write

Stop by next week for Part 2 of Writing Books for Children – Submission to Contract to Book Promotion to Career.

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Related Articles:

Children’s Writing: The Traditional Publishing Path
Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submissions?
Rewriting a Folktale

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PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE, and SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, A Writer’s World. You’ll get two e-books if you do!

And to be sure you don’t miss any posts here, simply subscribe to my blog (RSS feed).

If you’d like to check out my books, go to Karen’s Books Page:
http://www.karencioffi.com/karen-cioffis-books-and-e-books/

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Posted in Children's books, Writing for Children - Tagged , , , ,

Writing Books for Children – Submissions to Contract to Promotion to Writing Career Part2

Sep30
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin

Writing Books for Children – Submissions to Contract to Promotion to Writing Career Part2

In the last post we covered the ‘submissions’ aspect of writing books for children, now we’ll go on to the next 3 steps: the contract, book promotion, and a writing career.

2. Writing Books for Children: The Book Contract  

If you do your writing books for children homework, you’re manuscript will eventually find a home. Don’t let initial rejections, if you receive them, deter you. A published writer may not be the best writer, but she is definitely a writer who perseveres.

Read your contract carefully, if you don’t understand something, ask for an explanation.

After you sign a contract, you’ll be ‘put in queue’ and at some point begin editing with the publisher’s editor. From start to actual release, the publishing process can take one to two years.

3. Writing Books for Children: Book Promotion

Next on the writing books for children agenda is book promotion. A couple of months prior to your book’s release, you should begin promotion to help with book sales. This will involve creating an author website and platform – your will need to create visibility for you and your book.

After your book’s release, you will want to take part in virtual book tours, do blogtalk radio guest spots, school visits, and all the other standard book promotion strategies. You can take this on yourself, or you can hire a book promotion service or publicist.

You can check out these articles for book promotion tips:

Book Promotion: The Foundation
Book Promotion: Creating an Informational Funnel
Book Promotion: 20 Strategies that will Broaden Your Reach – Part 1
Book Promotion: 20 Strategies that will Broaden Your Reach – Part 2

4. Writing Books for Children: A Writing Career

Now, you’ve got your book and you’re promoting it like crazy (this is an ongoing process). The next and final step is to repeat the process. You don’t want to be a one-hit wonder, so hopefully you’ve been writing other stories. If not, get started now. On average, an author writes a book every one to two years.

Along with keeping the momentum goings with writing books for children, having published books opens other writing opportunities, such as speaking engagements, conducting workshops and/or teleseminars, and coaching. There are a number of marketers who say your ‘book’ is your business card or your calling card; it conveys what you’re capable of and establishes you as an expert in your field or niche. Take advantage of these additional avenues of visibility and income.

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PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE, and SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, A Writer’s World. You’ll get two e-books if you do!

And to be sure you don’t miss any posts here, simply subscribe to my blog (RSS feed).

If you’d like to check out my books, go to Karen’s Books Page:
http://www.karencioffi.com/karen-cioffis-books-and-e-books/

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Posted in Children's books, Writing for Children - Tagged , , , , , ,

Children’s Writing: the Traditional Publishing Path

Sep24
2011 1 Comment Written by admin

Children’s books fall into one of three categories: picture books, middle grade, and young adult. To become published within the children’s writing arena, in any of these genres, you need to take the necessary steps to achieve success whether aiming at traditional publishing or self-publishing.

In regard to traditional publishing, there are four steps needed to become a traditionally published author; the first step is writing.

Actually writing, and all that it entails, is the basis of becoming a published author or writer, whether writing books, articles, becoming a ghostwriter, or copywriter. Within that first writing step, there are four subcategories.

Children’s Writing: Four Traditional Publishing Steps

1. Writing and Reading

The first step for a successful writing career is to write. But, in addition to writing, the new writer will need to learn the craft of writing, along with the particular tricks of writing for children. Children’s writing is more complicated than other forms of writing. The reason is because you’re dealing with children.

Rules, such as age-appropriate words, age-appropriate topics, age-appropriate comprehension, storylines and formatting are all features that need to be tackled when writing for children.

Within the first step rung, aside from reading books and magazines on the craft of writing, you will need to read, read, and read in the genre you want to write.

Pay special attention to recently published books and their publishers. What works in these books? What type of style is the author using? What topics/storylines are publisher’s publishing?

Dissect these books, and you might even write or type them word-for-word to get a feel for writing that works. This is a trick that writers new to copywriting use – you can trick your brain into knowing the right way to write for a particular genre or field. Well, not so much trick your brain as teach it by copying effective writing. Just remember, this is for the learning process only – you cannot use someone else’s work, that’s plagiarism.

2. Critiques

The next step, number two, is to become part of a critique group and have your work critiqued. Critiquing is a two-way street; you will critique the work of other member of the critique group and they will critique yours. But, there are advantages to critiquing other writers’ works – you begin to see errors quickly and notice what’s being done right. This all helps you hone your craft.

3. Revise and Edit

Step three on the writing rung is to revise your manuscript according to your own self-editing and critiques from others. It’s also recommended to put the story away for a couple of weeks and then revisit it. You’ll see a number of areas that may need revising that you hadn’t noticed before.

There are also some self-editing steps you can take to help the process; you can check out:

Ten Tips Checklist for Self-Editing (Part 1)
Ten Tips checklist for Self-Editing (Part 2)

Final stages of Self-Editing Part 1
Final Stages of Self-Editing Part 2

4. Take it to a Professional

It would also be advisable if you budget for a professional editing of your manuscript before you begin submissions. No matter how careful you and your critique partners are, a working editor will pick up things you missed.

Once you have a polished manuscript, the next three steps in a writing career are: submissions, a contract and sales, and a writing career.

It’s important to mention that these four steps should be taken whether you are going the traditional publishing route or you’re going to self-publish. Just because you may be by-passing the publisher’s gatekeepers, who protect the integrity and quality of the work they accept, your manuscript should be the best possible, a quality product.

Self-publishing is not an excuse to cut corners, rush a book, or create a substandard product. Remember that your book is a reflection of you and your writing ability.

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Related Articles:

Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submission?
Freelance Editors – Should You Hire One?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE, and SIGN-UP FOR MY FREE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, A Writer’s World. You’ll get two e-books if you do!

And to be sure you don’t miss any posts here, simply subscribe to my blog (RSS feed).

If you’d like to check out my books, go to Karen’s Books Page:
http://www.karencioffi.com/karen-cioffis-books-and-e-books/

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Marketers
Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional and experienced with keywords and SEO. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Posted in Children's books, Writing for Children - Tagged , , , , ,

Creating and Building Your Author Online Presence Workshop

Sep09
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin

The Muse Online Writers Conference is just about here, October 3 – 9, and Magdalena Ball and Karen Cioffi (me) will be presenting a week-long workshop for the conference.

Here are the details:

Workshop Title: Creating and Building Your Author/Writer Online Presence: From Website Creation to Beyond Book Sales
Presenters: Karen Cioffi and Maggie Ball
Date: October 3 -9
Register today at: http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/

Description:

As an author or writer, it’s a certain bet that you have something to sell; it may be your book, your skills, or your experience and knowledge. In order to sell what you’re offering, you need to create and build your online presence. Join Maggie Ball and Karen Cioffi and learn: how to create an effective website; how to create effective content and what to do with it; a bit about SEO and keywords; how to create a podcast; how to create an e-book; how to create Buy Now buttons on your site; and how to attract customers.

Daily Breakdown of Workshop for October 3rd to October 9th:

3A. The Bare-Bottom Basics (Creating a Website)
3B. Creating Content
4. Article Marketing
5. A Bit About SEO and Keywords
6. Podcasting
7. Creating e-books for Freebies and for Sale
8. Creating ‘Buy Now’ Buttons for Your Site/s
9. Attracting Customers Through Informational Marketing

Be sure to register today and sign up for my workshop. Registration will close on September 25th!

It’s going to be one information packed marketing workshop – don’t miss out!

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Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Editor for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Posted in ePublishing, Marketing, Writers' Workshop - Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Self-Publishing With CreateSpace Workshop

Sep02
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin

Writers on the Move has a new workshop scheduled for this month, and it’s one that authors will want to register for.

*****

*****

Workshop Title: Self-Publishing With CreateSpace

Presenters: Elysabeth Eldering and Nancy Famolari
Date: September 16, 2011 (Friday)
Time: 4:00 – 5:00 PM, EST (U.S.)
Format: Live Online Chat

Workshop Description:

Today, more and more authors are taking their writing careers into their own hands. Self-publishing through services like Amazon’s CreateSpace is a viable option, but how do you go about it and what are the potential costs?

Is Self-Publishing using CreateSpace really free?

Nancy Famolari and Elysabeth Eldering will take you through the process of creating and printing a book through CreateSpace, including what the costs are to an indie author.

Nancy will discuss the points of doing all the work from creating a cover, doing a layout, and submitting files to print.

Elysabeth will discuss the process of hiring someone to do the cover, layout and converting files to make them print ready.

We’ll also go over when to order an actual proof copy and when it can be bypassed, as well and utilizing the Proadvantage option for distribution.

And, don’t forget that you can take your print ready documents and submit to Kindle and Nook. In addition, there will be a brief discussion on listing books on www.kindlegraph.com for e-signatures and personalized messages to buyers. This is not just for e-books.

There will also be a bonus PDF workshop handout included and a workshop transcript available upon request.

Register today and learn how you can publish through CreateSpace – email Elysabeth at eeldering@gmail.com

Registered attendees will receive instructions for attending. While the Writers on the Move Workshops are FREE, your email address will be added to the presenter’s mailing list.

I hope to see you there!

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Articles you may find of interest:

Freelance Editors – Should You Hire One?
Final Stages of Self-Editing: 6 Steps
6 Last Minute Steps to Self-Editing and Submissions
4 Steps on the Self-Publishing Road

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PLEASE SHARE this article, and sign-up for my Free monthly newsletter, A Writer’s World. You’ll get two Free e-books if you do!

And to be sure you don’t miss any posts here, simply subscribe to my blog (RSS feed).

If you’d like to check out my books, go to Karen’s Books Page.
http://www.karencioffi.com/karen-cioffis-books-and-e-books/

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Marketers
Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional and experienced with keywords and SEO. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,
Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Editor for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Posted in Self-Publishing, Writers' Workshop - Tagged , , , ,

Freelance Editors – Should You Hire One?

Aug14
2011 1 Comment Written by admin

  Will hiring a freelance editor ensure you pitch the perfect game? In writing terms, will it ensure you get published? Do you need an editor?

There are a number of pros and cons related to whether you should hire a freelance editor. Some writers benefit greatly from the experience while others have a difficult time and may even get insulted.

Four Points to Examine Before Hiring a Freelance Editor

1. One of the most important aspects of hiring someone to critique or edit your work is to be open to criticism. If you do not have the personality to handle constructive criticism, suggestions, and/or edits, then you shouldn’t hire a freelance editor.

2. Before you contemplate hiring a freelance editor, get your manuscript in the best shape possible. What this means is you should know your craft or engaged in learning it. You should obviously belong to a critique group that focuses on the genre you write. This group should have new and experienced/published authors in it. This will help you to hone your craft through the critiques you receive and the critiques you give.

There are also a number of fantastic free online writers’ conferences such as the Muse Online Writers Conference  that will help you hone your craft. There are workshops offered covering just about every writing genre, plus freelance writing and marketing. AND, you will have the opportunity to pitch to publishers. Between the networking and learning, it’s not something you should lightly pass on.

Next up on the road to learning your craft is to join a couple of writing groups – again be sure they have new and experienced writers. You can even look into a writing coach or instructor.

3. Hiring a freelance editor to go over your manuscript will not guarantee it will get published, even the best in the field can’t promise this. What they will do is help you to get it in the best shape possible. But, whether or not you take their advice is another story. And, again, even if you do, there are no guarantees.

This holds true everywhere in the writing world. After your manuscript is polished, you may send it to forty publishers and agents, and get forty rejections. Then, you send it to one more and it happens, this publisher has been looking for what your have. Time and chance, my friends . . . time and chance. But, it’s a sure bet if you’re manuscript isn’t polished you won’t ever get that far.

4. If you did your best to get your manuscript into what you think is publishable shape and you want an editor to give it a final once over, be sure to ask for recommendations from other writers.

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Other Writing Articles:

Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submissions?

Giving Basic Writing Advice

Successful Writing Strategy: Know Your Intent

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You Can check out my books page at:
http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/p/karens-books.html

~~~~~~~~~~~
And, if you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks on writing and/or marketing:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 4th Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
<em>(The books offered may change periodically)</em>

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Individuals
Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://dkvwriting4u.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,
Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Editor for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Karen-Cioffi-Ventrice/157731977630305?sk=wall

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Is Your Manuscript Ready for Submissions?

Jul18
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin

Writing and Editing  Writing is a personal experience. Each writer faces his or her own obstacles and processes. But, one common aspect of writing is it always starts with an idea. You may take that idea and turn it into an outline. You then take your outline and sprinkle it with letters and words and watch it grow. Words turn into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs into chapters. The journey can take months and even years. But, the love of writing, the love of your story, and the hope of publication keep you dedicated.

Then, the day finally arrives. Your manuscript is complete. The envelopes are ready. All you have to do is submit, submit, and submit again. But, hold on a minute. Have you gone over all the necessary steps to ensure your manuscript is actually ready to be submitted to a publisher or agent?

The writing journey can take months and even years. But, the love of writing, the love of your story, and the hope of publication keep you dedicated.

Time passes, and finally your manuscript is complete. The envelopes are ready. All you have to do is submit, submit, and submit again. But, hold on a minute. Have you gone over all the necessary steps to ensure your manuscript is actually ready to be submitted to a publisher or agent?

There are eight steps that every writer, especially those new to the business of writing, should follow before submitting a manuscript.

8 Steps to Submitting Your Manuscript:

1. Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite. Then self-edit your story until it’s the best you can do.

2. Make sure you belong to a critique group in your genre. Submit your ms for critique.

3. Revise your story again taking into account the critiques you received. Here you want to use common sense in regard to which critiques you listen to. If all your critique group members tell you a particular section of your children’s story is age inappropriate, listen. If one member tells you he/she doesn’t like the protagonist’s name, use your own discretion.

4. Resubmit the manuscript to the critique group again. See if you’ve revised or removed all the problem areas.

5. Proofread and self-edit the manuscript until you think it’s perfect.

6. Print the manuscript and check it again. You’ll be surprised at the different types of errors that will be found in this format. You should use a colored pen or pencil for these corrections so they’ll be easy to spot later on.

7. Now, it’s time for the final corrections. Give it another go over.

8. Have your manuscript professionally edited.

If you’re questioning why you need to have your manuscript professionally edited after going to the trouble of having it critiqued and worked on it meticulously and endlessly, the answer is simple: An author and a critique group are not a match for the expert eyes of a professional editor.

Did you and your critique group catch all the punctuation errors? How about knowing when or if it is permissible to use quotation marks outside of dialogue? Do you know about the Find function on your word program to check for over used words, such as was and very. What about ellipsis dots, or the over use of adjectives and adverbs? This is just the tip of the iceberg. Isn’t it understandable why it’s important to take that extra step, and yes, expense, to have your manuscript edited. If you’re undecided, ask the professional writers you know if they recommend it. You can also ask if they could recommend a qualified and affordable editor.

The powers that be, editors, agents, reviewers, and publishers, all know the difference between a professionally edited manuscript and one that is not. Every house needs a solid foundation, right? Getting your manuscript professional edited is the same thing – it will provide a solid foundation. The number of authors seeking publishers and/or agents is staggering. Yet, the number of publishers and agents is limited. Give your manuscript every advantage possible. One of those advantages is having it professionally edited. It can be the deciding factor in whether your manuscript makes it to the editor’s ‘to read’ pile or the trash pile.

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Related Articles:

How to Create an Ebook: 5 Simple Steps

Character Sheets: Adding Dimension to Your Characters

Storytelling: Don’t Let the Reader Become Disengaged

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CHECK OUT MY BOOK PAGES

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And, if you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks on writing and/or marketing:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 4nd Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
(The books offered may change periodically)

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Individuals
Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://DKVWriting4U.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Editor for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

Walking Through Walls (MG fantasy book)
http://walkingthroughwalls-kcioffi.blogspot.com

Day’s End Lullaby (Children’s bedtime story)
http://daysendlullaby.blogspot.com

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

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Horatio Humble Beats the Big “D”

Jul11
2011 Leave a Comment Written by admin

Since this site is about writing and marketing, I occasionally post book reviews since they’re a very important part of promoting a book. Today I have one on a wonderful picture book by Margot Finke.

Title: Horatio Humble Beats the Big “D”
Author: Margot Finke
Illustrator: Ellen Gurak
ISBN: 13: 978-1-61633-101-6
eBook ISBN: 13: 978-1-61633-102-3
Publisher: Guardian Angel Publishing

Horatio Humble Beats the Big “D” is a children’s rhyming picture book that tackles dyslexia. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, dyslexia, according to the Mayo Clinic, “is an impairment in your brain’s ability to translate written images received from your eyes into meaningful language.” And, it is the most common learning disability in children.

Margot Finke, in her usual insightful and playful way, shows the academic and emotional affects that dyslexia carries with it. Horatio, like all children with dyslexia, wants to read like his peers, but just can’t. “He wanted to read and dive into books, to snuggle in bed, reading stuff about crooks. But something was wonky within his poor head, so words in his books stayed a mystery instead.”

The author captures the emotional impact a child feels when he can’t read like others, which leads to: the need for special resources, tutoring, low self-esteem, and even anxiety. “Special class is for nitwits,” he whined to his Mom. “Every one of my friends will think that I’m dumb!”

With vivid full page illustrations Finke brings Horatio through the process of “special class” and shows the outcome that can be attained with proper instruction. “Words came unscrambled and flowed smooth and clear. “Hey, I’m reading books!” He yelled with a cheer.”

I’ve mentioned it before, and I’ll do so again, I’m a fan of Margot Finke’s work. She has a unique talent for approaching topics that children can use help with, such as moving away from familiar surroundings and friends, as in her book Ruthie and the Hippo’s Fat Behind, and now with dyslexia. What’s wonderful about Finke’s books is she addresses these issues with lighthearted rhyming fun.

Horatio Humble Beats the Big “D” is a book every parent of a child who is struggling to read should get. It’s important for children to know they’re not alone in their struggles, and that dyslexia is a problem that CAN be overcome.

Included at the end of the story is a resource page that provides information on dyslexia and also offers links to pertinent articles, along with book suggestions. Listed in the information is the advice that encourages parents of children who have or are suspect of having dyslexia to let their children know it is not a sign of a lack of intelligence. These children should be told that actors/celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Orlando Bloom, Oprah Winfrey and Magic Johnson overcame dyslexia, as did Bill Gates and Albert Einstein.

According to statistics, one in five students (around 20% of the population) has a language based learning disability. And, less than one-third of the children with reading disabilities receive school services to help with their disability.

Reading Horatio Humble Beats the Big “D” with your dyslexic child is a valuable strategy to help with your child’s self-esteem and motivation.

~~~~~~~~
Other Reviews You May Find of Interest:

The Lucky Baseball
Ruthie and Hippo’s Fat Behind
Walking Through Walls

~~~~~~~~~~

If you haven’t yet, be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter, A Writers World, and get TWO FREE eBooks on writing and/or marketing:

The Self-Publisher’s Guide, 4nd Edition
The Blogger’s Checklist
<em>(The books offered may change periodically)</em>

In fact, check out the sidebar for two free gifts just for stopping by!

~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ghostwriting and Editing for Businesses and Individuals
Do you want to get that idea turned into a book? Do you want to write your memoirs? Do you need editing, proofreading, or a professional critique? Do you need an e-book or white paper to offer for instruction, platform visibility, or a gift? Do you need blog, article, white paper, or other form of content visibility for your business? We’re professional, experienced with keywords and SEO, and we cover a number of writing services. So, please stop by and check us out. Go to: http://dkvwriting4u.com

~~~~~~~~~~~
Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance writer, and
Acquisitions Editor Intern for 4RV Publishing

Member of the Professional Writers Alliance, the International Association of Professional Ghostwriters, and the National Association of Independent Writers and Editors.

Walking Through Walls (MG fantasy book)

http://walkingthroughwalls-kcioffi.blogspot.com

Day’s End Lullaby (Children’s bedtime story)

http://daysendlullaby.blogspot.com

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

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