Breathe New Life into Your Dead Manuscript Through E-Publishing

So you’re manuscript has made the rounds at traditional publishing houses and has been rejected. You’re ready to give up, call it quits with this one, bury it in your hard drive never to see the light of day. It’s dead. What other choice do you have?

You can breathe new life into your dead manuscript through e-publishing. Actually, writers today have more choices in publishing than in the past. Though in days gone by, self publishing has been considered a four letter word, today’s Indie authors, as they are now called, are earning respect as a group of talented writers who’ve studied the craft, polished their manuscripts, and either can’t find a home for their work or have chosen to self publish first.

While Indie publishing is an option for authors who aren’t going the traditional publishing route, it is not the only option. Instead of Indie publishing, many authors are choosing to sign with smaller epublishers which can help an author establish themselves in the market place and make a name for themselves. That is the route I chose with Digging Up Death published by StoneHouse Ink. But before you decide either way, here are some things you should know and questions you should ask yourself before you make your decision.
 
Anyone can Indie Publish, Not Everyone Should

It’s true. There are authors who haven’t studied the craft enough and become impatient to get their books on Amazon. And they do. Before long, the bad reviews come pouring in. Poorly written, no plot, stupid main character, you get the idea. And they fizzle out with not enough books sales for their efforts damaging their reputation as an author in the process. So before you throw you novel up on Amazon, here’s a check list to see if you’re a candidate for Indie Publishing.

• Study the Craft and Write the Best Book you Can (Okay, that’s a given)
  
• Get your Novel Professionally Edited and Hire Someone to do the Cover Art This doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does require cash. Make sure your editor covers content and line edits and that your cover artist is not your uncle Jimmy who took graphic art in community college and can’t hold a job. You get the idea!

• Build your Platform and Market your Book No one is going to sell your book for you, so be prepared to market your book 24/7. Yes, it is possible via social media and you might need to for the first three books of your career to build a following of loyal readers.

• Be Patient All those authors who were impatient to go through traditional publishing channels before they Indie published are in for a rude awakening. Indie publishing is a slow way to build a business. It takes constant work. A lot of work. But it does work.

Discouraged yet? Don’t be! There is good news for Indie authors and many support groups who can help you navigate the process and offer encouragement. Let’s take a look at why you might choose to Indie publish over an epublisher.
 
Indie Authors Have Full Control Having full control of your novel can be a good and bad thing. Here’s why:

• No Editorial or Marketing Team

This means you are responsible for everything. The manuscript, the edits, the formatting, the cover art, loading it on Amazon, B & N, Smashwords, marketing, and doing the accounting. No one tells you what to do, but no one helps, either. But remember things might not always be easier with an e-publisher. No two e-publishers are alike. Some may offer content edits, others might only do basic proof, so do your homework and ask lots of questions before you sign a contract. Moreover, I've been told, while formatting for Amazon might require a high school education, for Smashwords you need a PhD, so hiring the formatting out might be your best option.

• More Money In Your Pocket

Going the DIY route, also means more money in your pocket, but it doesn’t mean selling more books. Sometimes partnering with an e-publisher can give you more exposure and help you sell more books than you can on your own. You also get to set your own price for your book, which affects your profits. But you need to spend more of that money on promotion, edits, book covers, etc. Is it worth it? That’s for each individual author to decide.

• Access to Sales and Profit Information

The e-publisher I work with sets the price for my book, issues a sales statement twice a year, as does most traditional publishers, and does my sales accounting, which I’m grateful for. This means I have no idea how many books I’m selling or how much money I’m making, but I’m freed up not to worry about the business end of thing so I can write more books. (At least in theory!) With Indie publishing, you set the price, see the sales, and do the accounting.
 
So what do I like about my e-publisher and why would I choose that route over Indie publishing?

• I like having a team that is invested in me and my book

They have a stake in whether my book succeeds or not and have helped me through the entire process. All I really had to worry about was edits, backcover copy, and approving cover art. They take care of the rest and are always available for a quick email or more in depth conference call.

• I’m working with an established e-publisher who knows the business

There are a lot of things that goes on behind the scenes that I know nothing about, and that’s comforting because it frees me up to concentrate on writing that next book. I don’t have to worry about all the details, and I have more credibility as an author with a publisher backing me and my work.

• I didn’t have the money or time

Would I have liked to keep more of my money by Indie publishing? Sure, but my writing account was tapped and when it came down to it, I couldn’t afford to Indie publish. So I sacrificed a percentage of sales and dove in without an advance. And I’m still waiting to see that sales sheet! But that’s okay, I know I’m selling books from my reviews and Amazon sales ranking. Whether you choose Indie or go with an e-publisher, one thing is certain, it’s going to take a lot of work and you should always do your homework before you decide. But the good news is if your novel has been rejected by traditional publishing houses,  you don’t have to bury your book. You can breathe new life into your manuscript through e-publishing.

Gina Conroy is founder of Writer...Interrupted and is still learning how to balance a career with raising a family. Represented by Chip MacGregor, she finds time to write fun, quirky mysteries in between carpooling and ballroom dancing . Her first mystery Cherry Blossom Capers, released from Barbour Publishing in January 2012, and Digging Up Death is available now.

Doing Time ~ by Deb Raney

DEBORAH RANEY's first novel, A Vow to Cherish, inspired the World Wide Pictures film of the same title and launched her writing career after 20 happy years as a stay-at-home mom. Her books have won numerous awards including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. Deb's 23rd novel released from Howard/Simon & Schuster this month. She and her husband, Ken Raney, live in Kansas and love traveling together to teach at conferences, and to visit four children and four small grandchildren who all live much too far away. Visit Deb on the Web at www.deborahraney.com.

Doing Time

A writer friend mentioned recently that she was having trouble keeping track of the timeline for her novel. I've struggled with that, too, and it got me thinking about all the different ways I've tracked time in my novels.

Nineteen years ago when I wrote my first novel––a family saga spanning ten years––I taped eight sheets of paper together, drew horizontal lines in various colors to represent each character, and made hashmarks along the line for significant events in each character's life. That sounds so clever and wise until I tell you that I only created this timeline after an editor discovered, just before the book went to press, that I had some characters in college for most of the ten years––and they were still working on their bachelor's degrees. Oops. I quickly cobbled together the timeline and sorted things out in the nick of time.

In my next book, all the action took place in one year's time, so my timeline for that was a simple list down the lines of a legal pad. Easy.

I've never been good with anything number-related, but another writing friend's husband had put together an Excel spreadsheet that calculated all kinds of data about a novel, including timeline, page count, percentage left to write, and I-don't-remember-what-else. I used it for several books, then somehow hit a button that messed up the algorithm that calculated the numerics (I just made that algorithm thing up, but I pushed something wrong and that was the end of that).

My next book had a mystery thread running through it and I needed to do a bit more plotting than my usual seat-of-the-pants method to set up some red herrings, so I tried the index card method. Blue cards for my hero, pink for my heroine, and each card containing the date the scene took place and a sentence about the action. It actually worked pretty well, but like any plotting method I've ever tried, it took all the fun out of writing for me because I hate knowing the ending before I get there––whether reading or writing.

So with my next book––my tried and true women's fiction––I tried simply labeling each chapter and scene with a date. My intention was that those notations would be for my eyes only and I would delete them before the book was published, but I found those datelines caused me to "cheat" and not write decent set-ups for each new scene. I ended up having to go back through the entire book and weave in timeline cues for the reader. I love rewrite and editing, but that was not fun and I was terrified the book would be full of continuity glitches.

Christmas of that year we received several freebie calendars from local businesses. Since I keep all my calendar events on my computer and iPhone and only use one paper calendar, I didn't need any of the giveaway calendars, but as I was getting ready to toss them in the trash, I noticed that one of them had nice big sqares for each day. A light went on and I knew I'd discovered my perfect timeline tool.

For the last dozen or so books, I've kept my timeline on a discarded calendar. I never tell the reader the actual year of the calendar I'm referencing, but using a calendar this way has helped me avoid the pitfall of having a character go to church on Sunday morning and three days later gripe about how much he hates Monday mornings. (Yes, that's happened––but thanks to my sharp-eyed editors I don't think a timeline gaffe like that ever made it into a published book.)

Since I don't plot ahead, after I write a scene, I simply jot on the correct day's square something like: 5 p.m. –– Mitch and Shelley argue at the post office. Seeing those squares lined up Sunday-Saturday helps me organize my characters' lives the way I organize my own.

I did use the dateline-at-the-beginning-of-scene method in my newest series––with the dates in the actual book––and I think it worked well since those novels each had a thread of suspense, but I had to remind myself not to forget to use "markers" for the reader for time of day, day of week, season of year, weather, etc.

I've used the Scrivener software for several years now, and love the idea board, notecards, research options, and other features of the program, but I haven't really found it helpful for keeping timelines. My go-to method for keeping track of time continues to be the paper calendar method and I eagerly look forward to those hometown giveaway calendars every year.

How about you? Have you found a creative way to keep track of your novel's timeline?

Here are a few links you might find useful in creating the timeline that works best for you:

Using Microsoft Excel:

http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/how-to/Pages/timeline.aspx

Using Microsoft Word:

http://www.microsoft.com/education/en-us/teachers/how-to/Pages/creating-timeline.aspx

Creating Your Own Calendar:

http://timeanddate.com/calendar/custommenu.html

Using Three-act Story Structure:

http://www.filmscriptwriting.com/thethreeactstructure.html

Scrivener Software Purchase:

http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php

The Face of the Earth

What if she never came home . . . ?

When Mitchell Brannon’s beloved wife sets off for home after a conference, he has no idea that his life is about to change forever. Mitch returns from work early that evening, surprised that Jill’s car isn’t in the garage. But her voice on the answering machine makes him smile. “Hey, babe, I’m just now checking out of the hotel, but I’ll stop and pick up something for dinner. Love you.” Hours later, Jill still hasn’t returned, and Mitch’s irritation turns to dread.

When the police come up empty, Mitch enlists the help of their next-door neighbor, Jill’s best friend, Shelley, to help search. As hours turn into days and days into weeks, Mitch and Shelley’s friendship grows ever closer—and decidedly more complicated. Every lead seems to be a dead end, and Mitch wonders how he can honor the vows he made to a woman who has seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth.

Eight Fascinating Ways to Pitch Editors and Agents

This week I’m at the excellent Blue Ridge Christian Writers Conference in the Blue Ridge Hills Mountains. 

One of the continuing tracks I’m teaching is Marketing 101 – 401 which teaches—among other things—the most effective techniques for pitching editors and agents.

But my methods might be wrong. Some of the conferees seem to have adopted the following (different) techniques when trying to impress an editor or agent:

1. Pitch editors and agents in the bathroom if possible. It's where they're most vulnerable, thus most open to suggestions.
2. If you get a chance to sit next to an editor or agent at a meal, scoot your chair so close they'll feel like they're in the middle of a CAT scan. They like feeling close to writers.
3. If you have a 15 minute appointment with an editor or agent, make sure you talk for at least 14 of the 15 minutes.
4. Be sure to ask editors and agents inane questions that could easily be answered with a little research on the internet. They like being asked these questions over and over again.
5. When it's your turn to speak at a meal where there are other aspiring writers, don't talk in short sound bites. Talk in long run on sentences—without taking a breath if possible. This proves to an editor or agent you have enough words to write a full length novel.
6. Before and after your appointment, lurk in your favorite editor or agent's peripheral vision so they know you're serious about working with them. Editors and agents don't think of this as stalking, they think of it as persistence.
7. When they ask for your proposal hand them one that's a little beat up with two or three strategically placed coffee stains. This shows you're a true artist.
8. Whenever you say their name, pronounce it wrong. This will provide loads of laughs in the years to come when you reminisce about your first meeting.
   

Any other fascinating methods of pitching you've seen? Talk to me.

James L. Rubart is the best-selling and award winning author of ROOMS, BOOK OF DAYS, THE CHAIR, SOUL’S GATE, and releasing in August, MEMORY’S DOOR. During the day he runs Barefoot Marketing which helps businesses and authors make more coin of the realm. In his free time he dirt bikes, hikes, golfs, takes photos, and occasionally does sleight of hand. No, he doesn’t sleep much. He lives with his amazing wife and teenage sons in the Pacific Northwest and still thinks he’s young enough to water ski like a madman. More at www.jameslrubart.com

WRITING BACK COVER COPY with Shelley Ring

Since 2007, Shelley Ring has written back cover and marketing copy for traditional publishers, as well as for independently published authors. A former Marketing Coordinator for a Christian publisher, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Colorado Christian University, where she worked in Public Relations and wrote for the college newspaper. Her writing vices, never far during creative chaos, include chocolate, iced tea, and baked kale chips. With a passion for outstanding romantic Christian fiction, she is the author of Ransomed, a romantic suspense novel that portrays one woman’s physical and spiritual escape from human trafficking. Shelley’s novels are available on Amazon in digital and paperback. She lives in Colorado with her family, including a sweet-tempered Rottweiler named Mya.

The following article is an excerpt from Shelley’s upcoming book, How to Write Back Cover Copy that Sells: Every Writer's Guide to Creating Successful Marketing Copy.

Blink, blink, blink.

I close my eyes, praying something brilliant will magically appear on the computer screen when I look again. God answers desperate prayers, right?

Well, not this time.

My eyes open to the blinding white screen staring back at me. A flashing black cursor mocks my mental block. For several minutes, my brain draws a frustrating blank. I wrote an entire book, but writing back cover copy seems an insurmountable task.

Insurmountable until I remember the purpose, structure, and language of back cover copy. As a novelist, copywriter, and former publishing Marketing Coordinator, I’ve learned to switch hats from fiction to marketing.

My direction reset, I take a deep breath, and my fingers fly over the keyboard.

The Purpose of the Back Cover

Your back cover exists for two reasons:

1.       Introduce your story.

2.       Compel the reader to open the book.

Once he or she delves between the covers, allow your characters and voice to complete the sale.

The Structure of Fiction Back Cover Copy

Many fiction writers create a basic foundation of goal, motivation, and conflict for their novels. The same structure applies to writing copy for your fiction back cover.

First, introduce your hero/heroine. Provide a snapshot of the character so we immediately identify with him or her.

Next, bring out your character’s motivation and overall conflict in one sentence.

Finally, highlight the character’s black moment. Don’t give the ending away, but show how much the hero or heroine stands to lose. Intrigue the reader.

The Outline for Non-fiction Back Cover Copy

Non-fiction books have a different framework, though they still employ goals, motivations, and conflicts. This style of back cover copy begins by targeting a person’s felt needs. Ask yourself:

• What promise do I make the reader?
• What does he or she want to discover, accomplish, or become?
• Why does my audience desire this, and how does my book fulfill that desire?
• What roadblocks prevent the reader from his or her desire, and how does my book help them overcome those obstacles?

The following examples give you an idea of the big thought or promise in a non-fiction book:

• A proven strategy for conquering financial distress
• Write e-books that actually sell
• An outrageous true account of greed, corruption, and deceit

Follow the big idea with a short list of other reader-oriented benefits:

• Get out of debt and gain a stress-free life.
• Discover 10 secrets of highly effective e-book authors.
• One of the most gripping and bizarre real-life stories ever told.

The Language of Back Cover Copy

As the author, you know your audience better than anyone. Build a composite reader and address that person.

Sales or information-based non-fiction uses you, your, we, and our to speak to the reader. Fiction and creative non-fiction apply more abstract ways. Maximize the danger, the struggle, or the life-and-death situation with words like true account, incredible, terrifying, life-changing, outrageous, or spellbinding.

More tips

In writing the back cover of your book, a few helpful reminders create the richest set-up:

• Include 1-2 keywords about your book’s subject or theme. Keywords help readers draw a correlation between your back cover copy and blog posts, articles, headlines, or ads.
• Watch your length. Keep the word count in the range of 75-200 words, depending on the size of your printed product. A length of 125 words seems to fit the backs of most printed books, while still allowing space for your bio.
• Reflect the story tone or the voice of the non-fiction piece.
• Be tight. Be specific. Be yourself. Your writer voice might be the only truly unique part of your book, so let your style, expertise, or personality shine through and make a connection with your reader.
• Don’t introduce secondary themes or subplots in fiction.
• Don’t reveal the ending in fiction, and don’t give up every secret in non-fiction.
• Use testimonials, awards, and previous books to build credibility and earn trust. Testimonials are most valuable as headlines, while awards and other titles fit well at the end of your copywriting.

Following these simple tips empowers every author to write compelling copy for any book category. No more blinding white screen and mocking cursors. I can write back cover copy.

So can you.

After a heated argument with her boyfriend, sixteen-year-old Rebecca Siersha vanishes into the afternoon sun. Eight years later, her family still finds no trace of her. Until former Marine and modern-day prophet Micah Stone receives a disturbing vision.

Years ago, Micah knew his future. He would marry Rebecca and live in service to God forever. Her disappearance devastated him. Now haunted by the image of her running through the night, darkness chasing her, Micah hears an edict from the Lord: Save her.

Micah determines to uncover the truth behind Rebecca’s disappearance, but just when victory seems near, they meet evil face to face. This time it will take everything within Micah to obey God.

But exactly who will do the saving?

Secretaries of Praise

In a devotional about Acts 20:35, J. Hudson Taylor said - “Oh that our pen may be anointed as with fresh oil, while we seek to bring our own soul, and the soul of our readers more fully under the influence of this truth!”

As we search for truth in the world around us, as we strive to depict it, in whatever form, we glorify the One who is truth, the One who lives in us.

But there is a danger, the trap of arrogance, the sin of pride. There is danger in loving our words too much, danger in thinking ourselves wise. William Saroyan has said - "If you practice an art faithfully, it will make you wise, and most writers can use a little wising up." We must never assume the words belong to us, neither to keep nor to distribute. The words, especially those that come from the depth of our spirit, belong to our Father. We can never claim Divine inspiration, but we must take seriously the calling, the vocation, of a writer who is Christian.

Nor can we claim that we have all the answers. Frans Kafka has said - “One reads in order to ask questions.” Perhaps one should also write from that perspective, not to provide, but to seek the answers, those answers that will resonate deep and long as they touch that central part of our being where God resides; those answers that will lead us and our readers to more questions and to a deeper knowledge of God.

The trap of pride also lurks, ready to ensnare us. It is in arrogance that we write believing we possess the complete unadulterated truth. Jesus is the only One who lives in that place. Jesus is truth. We are merely those, as J. Hudson Taylor says, who are seeking to bring our own souls under its influence.

Oswald Chambers, who has written one of the most popular devotional books ever written, has said - "The author who benefits you most is not the one who tells you something you did not know before, but the one who gives expression to the truth that has been dumbly struggling in you for utterance."

I think the author who is most true to himself, and his readers, is the one who admits that truth has been dumbly struggling in him, as well. It is when we as writers struggle to give utterance, struggle toward that wholeness, that holiness, that we succeed, no matter whether the result is published in the New Yorker or in a local newspaper. For, as E.B. white has said, “Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.”

This is our calling, our privilege, to walk forward in that faith, for, as George Herbert's wonderful little poem says -

 “Of all the creatures in the sea and land

Only to Man thou has made known thy ways,

and put the pen alone into his hand,

and made him Secretary of thy praise.”  

 

 **** 

Marcia Lee Laycock writes from central Alberta Canada where she is a pastor's wife and mother of three adult daughters. She was the winner of The Best New Canadian Christian Author Award for her novel, One Smooth Stone and also has two devotional books in print. Her work has been endorsed by Sigmund Brouwer, Janette Oke, Phil Callaway and Mark Buchanan. Marcia's second novel, A Tumbled Stone has just been short listed in the contemporary fiction category of The Word Awards. 

Abundant Rain, an ebook devotional for writers can be downloaded here. Visit Marcia's website