I would love for some of you to send in suggestions of what you might like to have discussed in future blogs.
Don't forget to sign up for our Ink Tree newsletter at www.inktreemarketing.com for tons of pointers on publishing.
Denise
Monday, February 21, 2011
VACATION BREAK
I am saying adios for two weeks as Mexico calls. More to the point, warm days and beaches call. This unseasonbly, unglobal-warming-like cold spell is just not fun.
I would love for some of you to send in suggestions of what you might like to have discussed in future blogs.
Don't forget to sign up for our Ink Tree newsletter at www.inktreemarketing.com for tons of pointers on publishing.
Denise
I would love for some of you to send in suggestions of what you might like to have discussed in future blogs.
Don't forget to sign up for our Ink Tree newsletter at www.inktreemarketing.com for tons of pointers on publishing.
Denise
Friday, February 18, 2011
ADVICE FROM AUTHORS
This posting will be extremely brief but very helpful to new authors. Oprah Winfrey's website, www.oprah.com, today features interviews with famous authors. Who better to give you advice on writing a book than people who have already been there and done that?
You will discover that writing a book can be a heart wrenching, lengthy, rewarding endeavour. Don't rush the process. Make it count.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
Do you want to publish a book that will sell? We can help you.
You will discover that writing a book can be a heart wrenching, lengthy, rewarding endeavour. Don't rush the process. Make it count.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
Do you want to publish a book that will sell? We can help you.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
CHILDREN'S BOOKS
Today I was reading stories to my two little granddaughters. What a great excuse to get a cuddle and to watch their little faces as they become engrossed in the story. These are moments to cherish forever.
What came to mind as I was reading is that so many people think that they can write children's books. How hard can it be? The books need only a few simple words. How deceptive.
It is extremely difficult to tell a story using only a few words. Each word must count for more than a whole page in an adult book. Furthermore, the words must be kept very simple. Now, there's a challenge, especially since you will have to repeat most of the words several times at least.
Book buyers are also very particular about children's books. They know the word counts allowable per page for each age group and the level of vocabulary acceptable for each age group. Break the rules and no one will buy your book.
Illustrations must also be attractive to both adults and to children. After all, who buys the books? Not the kids. Therefore, the book needs to be pleasing to the family and friends who are buying books as gifts for children.
If you feel that you need to write children's books, spend a LOT of time researching what works and what doesn't. Once you are sure that you understand the criteria, write your stories.
I look forward to reading them to my little ones.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
What came to mind as I was reading is that so many people think that they can write children's books. How hard can it be? The books need only a few simple words. How deceptive.
It is extremely difficult to tell a story using only a few words. Each word must count for more than a whole page in an adult book. Furthermore, the words must be kept very simple. Now, there's a challenge, especially since you will have to repeat most of the words several times at least.
Book buyers are also very particular about children's books. They know the word counts allowable per page for each age group and the level of vocabulary acceptable for each age group. Break the rules and no one will buy your book.
Illustrations must also be attractive to both adults and to children. After all, who buys the books? Not the kids. Therefore, the book needs to be pleasing to the family and friends who are buying books as gifts for children.
If you feel that you need to write children's books, spend a LOT of time researching what works and what doesn't. Once you are sure that you understand the criteria, write your stories.
I look forward to reading them to my little ones.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
PACKING
Just when it seemed that winter was showing signs of ending, it returned with a vengeance. Thank goodness March is just around the corner!
I have started to pack for a much needed and anticipated trip to sunnier climes. Needless to say, books are included in the necessary items. These days with limited luggage allowances, which books to pack becomes an issue.
Hard cover books are much too bulky and heavy. That reduces the selection to soft cover books. I selected a pile of novels that sound very intriguing. The sign of the tines is that the books that made the final cut are the lightest in weight.
Sometimes choices must be made for unanticipated reasons.
I find that most interesting...
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
I have started to pack for a much needed and anticipated trip to sunnier climes. Needless to say, books are included in the necessary items. These days with limited luggage allowances, which books to pack becomes an issue.
Hard cover books are much too bulky and heavy. That reduces the selection to soft cover books. I selected a pile of novels that sound very intriguing. The sign of the tines is that the books that made the final cut are the lightest in weight.
Sometimes choices must be made for unanticipated reasons.
I find that most interesting...
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
I had the most amazing Valentine's dinner, complete with a decadent chocolate dessert. Yum!
Anyway, I gave an author a challenge. He had a "publishing service" printing company design and edit his book. I told him that I would be able to tell just by looking at the book, as could book buyers tell, that he had not hired his own designer and editor. To prove me wrong he offered to send me a copy of the book.
Well, I had completely forgotten about it. This week his book appeared on my desk, and it having been some time since the challenge, I did not realize that it was HIS book that I was looking at. My first comment in the office was, "This book has not been professionally designed. Just look at the cover." Oops. Then I read his letter. Well, the appearance of his book was proof of my initial comment - "Just by looking at the book I will be able to tell you that this book was produced by a publishing service."
Don't get me wrong, simple books have their place. Some people don't want to sell to book stores and corporate buyers, and that's just fine. Maybe they want to sell only on a website or maybe they want to sell only during personal appearances, or maybe they don't want to sell at all. Maybe the book is meant for a charity group or for the private distribution to friends and family. No problem.
What is a problem is trying to sell to corporate buyers when the book looks like an amateur production. Academy awards are not presented to home movies any more than sales are awarded to poor quality books.
If you want to sell large quantities of books, treat your book like a product that you intend to sell to a designer company not to a discount store.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
Anyway, I gave an author a challenge. He had a "publishing service" printing company design and edit his book. I told him that I would be able to tell just by looking at the book, as could book buyers tell, that he had not hired his own designer and editor. To prove me wrong he offered to send me a copy of the book.
Well, I had completely forgotten about it. This week his book appeared on my desk, and it having been some time since the challenge, I did not realize that it was HIS book that I was looking at. My first comment in the office was, "This book has not been professionally designed. Just look at the cover." Oops. Then I read his letter. Well, the appearance of his book was proof of my initial comment - "Just by looking at the book I will be able to tell you that this book was produced by a publishing service."
Don't get me wrong, simple books have their place. Some people don't want to sell to book stores and corporate buyers, and that's just fine. Maybe they want to sell only on a website or maybe they want to sell only during personal appearances, or maybe they don't want to sell at all. Maybe the book is meant for a charity group or for the private distribution to friends and family. No problem.
What is a problem is trying to sell to corporate buyers when the book looks like an amateur production. Academy awards are not presented to home movies any more than sales are awarded to poor quality books.
If you want to sell large quantities of books, treat your book like a product that you intend to sell to a designer company not to a discount store.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
Monday, February 14, 2011
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY
Happy Valentine's Day to all.
This is a good day to relax and just read something romantic, isn't it? Put aside all of the rules and just read a fun romance novel - one of those feel good books that you will never remember, the writing is not all that great, but it's fun and it puts a smile on your face.
This is not a day to be analytical. It's a day to do something fun and eat some chocolates. Tomorrow is another day. We can chat about serious matters then.
For today, be kind to your heart.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
This is a good day to relax and just read something romantic, isn't it? Put aside all of the rules and just read a fun romance novel - one of those feel good books that you will never remember, the writing is not all that great, but it's fun and it puts a smile on your face.
This is not a day to be analytical. It's a day to do something fun and eat some chocolates. Tomorrow is another day. We can chat about serious matters then.
For today, be kind to your heart.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
Friday, February 11, 2011
WRITING - WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT?
I wonder what people think about when they are writing. Obviously, the writer is thinking about something that is of interest to him/her. But what else?
For me, I picture someone reading what I have written. I picture the reader absorbing what I have said and I hope that my thoughts come through clearly. When I was writing my cookbook/healthy lifestyle book, I asked my daughter to act out an exercise that I was describing. It was funny to see her go through the motions, because what I THOUGHT I had said is apparently not what I actually said. It was a terrific learning experience in understanding how my brain (and yours) fills in the missing links because in your brain you can picture the outcome. However, the reader's brain may go in another direction. That is why you have to write, re-write, leave it for a while, re-write and so on until you are sure that your message is clear.
I decided to test my writing on my daughter again for the book. When she was asked to act out the steps in a recipe, I almost jumped up and down for joy when she actually carried out the instructions as I meant them to be performed. Whew! That was a relief.
As we say in our Ultimate Book Marketing Kit (www.inktreemarketing.com), you absolutely CANNOT edit your own writing. That tricky brain, again, will fill in the blanks when you don't even know it's happening.
Trust me, it's true. You MUST, MUST, MUST have your manuscript edited professionally or you will be misquoted all over the place. The results could be unpleasant indeed, because once you have published a work, it's out there for all to critique.
Make it good.
Denise
For me, I picture someone reading what I have written. I picture the reader absorbing what I have said and I hope that my thoughts come through clearly. When I was writing my cookbook/healthy lifestyle book, I asked my daughter to act out an exercise that I was describing. It was funny to see her go through the motions, because what I THOUGHT I had said is apparently not what I actually said. It was a terrific learning experience in understanding how my brain (and yours) fills in the missing links because in your brain you can picture the outcome. However, the reader's brain may go in another direction. That is why you have to write, re-write, leave it for a while, re-write and so on until you are sure that your message is clear.
I decided to test my writing on my daughter again for the book. When she was asked to act out the steps in a recipe, I almost jumped up and down for joy when she actually carried out the instructions as I meant them to be performed. Whew! That was a relief.
As we say in our Ultimate Book Marketing Kit (www.inktreemarketing.com), you absolutely CANNOT edit your own writing. That tricky brain, again, will fill in the blanks when you don't even know it's happening.
Trust me, it's true. You MUST, MUST, MUST have your manuscript edited professionally or you will be misquoted all over the place. The results could be unpleasant indeed, because once you have published a work, it's out there for all to critique.
Make it good.
Denise
Thursday, February 10, 2011
WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOUR BOOK WILL SELL?
To continue in the vein of our newsletter sent out today, (you can sign up for the newsletter at www.inktreemarketing.com), why do you think that your book will sell?
We receive review copies of books daily. One glance at most of them and we know - this book will never make it. We so often wonder what the publishers are thinking! Have they ever actually gone to a book store to study they physical aspects of a book? Apparently not!
Everyone is familiar with the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Well, guess what? People do judge a book by its cover (and by the appearance of the inside pages). The cover of a book must be enticing. It must call out to people who are browsing, urging them to actually pick up the book, read the back cover and then flip the book open to get a sampling of the writing, which had better be good.
If a book is not professionally designed and professionally edited, it screams out POOR QUALITY. There are too many competitors available for people to pay the same amount for an inferior book as for a superior book. There is plenty of competition out there. Your book has to stand out above the rest - it must be different and better than the other books in the same genre.
If your book does not "grab" the reader, you have just sold someone else's book.
NEVER, NEVER go to print with a poor quality book unless you need to fill your garage with rejects.
Phew, that rant feels great.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
We receive review copies of books daily. One glance at most of them and we know - this book will never make it. We so often wonder what the publishers are thinking! Have they ever actually gone to a book store to study they physical aspects of a book? Apparently not!
Everyone is familiar with the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Well, guess what? People do judge a book by its cover (and by the appearance of the inside pages). The cover of a book must be enticing. It must call out to people who are browsing, urging them to actually pick up the book, read the back cover and then flip the book open to get a sampling of the writing, which had better be good.
If a book is not professionally designed and professionally edited, it screams out POOR QUALITY. There are too many competitors available for people to pay the same amount for an inferior book as for a superior book. There is plenty of competition out there. Your book has to stand out above the rest - it must be different and better than the other books in the same genre.
If your book does not "grab" the reader, you have just sold someone else's book.
NEVER, NEVER go to print with a poor quality book unless you need to fill your garage with rejects.
Phew, that rant feels great.
Denise
www.inktreemarketing.com
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Life-transforming ideas have always come to me through books.
Bell Hooks, O Magazine, December 2003
Walk into a room full of people and ask how many have or are in the process of or would like to write a book, and hands will flash up all over the room. I've tried it - it's true. Several years ago we ran a contest for authors with amazing results. Hundreds of people submitted manuscripts that had been written for some time and some were works in progress, but it was an indication of just how many people are interested in writing books.
How wonderful! Just think of the number of people who have ideas, knowledge and wisdom to share or who are creative enough to entertain us through writing.
Currently, books are in a state of transistion with the development of ebook readers and that's OK. I know that there is a great deal of controversy about ebooks but let's just celebrate that more people can get their books and their ideas out to the public. One of the few certainties in life is that things will change. That's fine.
Let's celebrate that people are still interested in sharing their ideas and people are still interested in reading in whatever format makes them happy.
Denise
Bell Hooks, O Magazine, December 2003
Walk into a room full of people and ask how many have or are in the process of or would like to write a book, and hands will flash up all over the room. I've tried it - it's true. Several years ago we ran a contest for authors with amazing results. Hundreds of people submitted manuscripts that had been written for some time and some were works in progress, but it was an indication of just how many people are interested in writing books.
How wonderful! Just think of the number of people who have ideas, knowledge and wisdom to share or who are creative enough to entertain us through writing.
Currently, books are in a state of transistion with the development of ebook readers and that's OK. I know that there is a great deal of controversy about ebooks but let's just celebrate that more people can get their books and their ideas out to the public. One of the few certainties in life is that things will change. That's fine.
Let's celebrate that people are still interested in sharing their ideas and people are still interested in reading in whatever format makes them happy.
Denise
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
AND THE FLU GOES ON....
When will it end? When will my head stop feeling like it's a balloon ready to burst? When will I get a good night's sleep?
Anyway - I still have to read my email and I still hear the daily complaint of "I have a "publisher" but I am very disappointed in the service that I am receiving for the amount of money that I paid. What can I do now?
The answer is: very little. You have likely blown the publishing budget, you have received a poor quality book and no one will review it or buy it.
There just cannot be enough said about education. Before you ever, ever sign a contract or print some books, research books (physical books) and research the publishing game. There is a LOT to it and publishing is a LOT of work. It is a business, not a hobby. Your goal is to create a product that you want to sell, just as if you are manufacturing a widget. What does the competition look like? What does it cost to produce? Where will you sell it? How will people know about it? How much time do you have to devote to the project?
You can ask me how at www.inktreemarketing.com.
Denise
Anyway - I still have to read my email and I still hear the daily complaint of "I have a "publisher" but I am very disappointed in the service that I am receiving for the amount of money that I paid. What can I do now?
The answer is: very little. You have likely blown the publishing budget, you have received a poor quality book and no one will review it or buy it.
There just cannot be enough said about education. Before you ever, ever sign a contract or print some books, research books (physical books) and research the publishing game. There is a LOT to it and publishing is a LOT of work. It is a business, not a hobby. Your goal is to create a product that you want to sell, just as if you are manufacturing a widget. What does the competition look like? What does it cost to produce? Where will you sell it? How will people know about it? How much time do you have to devote to the project?
You can ask me how at www.inktreemarketing.com.
Denise
Thursday, February 03, 2011
FLU AND A HAPPY PUBLISHER
The flu bag still has a nasty grip on me. For ten days I haven't tasted a thing that I have eaten. I am judging what I eat by it's appearance and by what I assume it tastes like based on someone else's opinion - kind of like judging a book. You assume it is good by its cover and by what you presume the contents will be based on what other people tell you.
Sometimes your expectations are justified but sometimes you are disappointed. You have to follow your instincts based on initial reactions and sometimes you have to wait for your own analysis based on trying it. If your dinner or the book looks good - give it a chance. If someone else tells you it is good, try it yourself. It may or may not be as good as it looks.
That's about all my fevered brain can come up with today.
Denise
Sometimes your expectations are justified but sometimes you are disappointed. You have to follow your instincts based on initial reactions and sometimes you have to wait for your own analysis based on trying it. If your dinner or the book looks good - give it a chance. If someone else tells you it is good, try it yourself. It may or may not be as good as it looks.
That's about all my fevered brain can come up with today.
Denise
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
UPDATE
I had such great intentions of blogging regularly, but as soon as I declared that intention, some awful virus hit me followed by a nasty bacterial sinus and chest infection. Weeks have disappeared in the fight against the nasty.
The same goes for other projects in life, I guess. You get side-tracked. The only thing holding you back is focus and determination. So, with focus and determination I am back on the right track, hopefully.
Anyway, some poor soul has been emailing me about her disappointment in dealing with her "publishing service". I have said it before and I will say it again and again - self publishing means SELF publishing. If you are not in complete control of your book, it will NOT be successful. If you do not understand the publishing industry before you ever print a book, you will FAIL. If you think that education is expensive, try experiencing the cost of ignorance.
That's it in a nutshell. Lack of knowledge will cost you.
Denise
The same goes for other projects in life, I guess. You get side-tracked. The only thing holding you back is focus and determination. So, with focus and determination I am back on the right track, hopefully.
Anyway, some poor soul has been emailing me about her disappointment in dealing with her "publishing service". I have said it before and I will say it again and again - self publishing means SELF publishing. If you are not in complete control of your book, it will NOT be successful. If you do not understand the publishing industry before you ever print a book, you will FAIL. If you think that education is expensive, try experiencing the cost of ignorance.
That's it in a nutshell. Lack of knowledge will cost you.
Denise
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