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Showing posts with label Mary DeMuth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mary DeMuth. Show all posts

Aug 12, 2009

So You Wanna Get Published ~ Part Three ~ Final in the Series with Mary DeMuth

Wednesday, August 12, 2009
This is the final post on the Publishing Series with Mary DeMuth and So You Wanna Get Published hosted here on my blog.

Part Three Video of Mary DeMuth (about 14 minutes):
~Marketing with the Publisher
~Book Catalog
~Finished Copy of Book!
~Publicity: Radio, Interviews (*I must mention for you BlogtalkRadio!! Fabulous resource!)
~Advance (Money!)
~Royalties (once you outpace the advance!), Percentages (split with publisher)
~Question Session
~The Burton Review is mentioned.. woo hoo my voice is on a video (That I filmed and put on my blog, okay be quiet, you hecklers)








The Burton Review I am not a writer.. yet.. I don't have a novel spinning around in my head yet, or the intense desire to write a book at all. I have dabbled in short stories in my younger days, which I kept to myself, and I enjoyed writing poetry. Several were award winning at my high school, I believe one was worth $10.00. I took Creative Writing in school, and enjoyed the AP English courses. I was the News and Features Editor for my middle school's newspaper. I used to say I wanted to be a writer or a teacher when I grew up, and that is the end of my writing career experience. When my brain gets back to functioning (when the toddler grows up) I actually plan on pursuing the plan to be an aspiring writer. So for now, I'll stick to critiquing books and learn what I can as I do so.

But I know that there are ALOT of others who are ahead of me, and that you just devour any information about learning new things to get you closer to your goal. So I've scoured the Internet for you, because another nickname I had at my old job was Jeeves. They'd say how do you spell this, or I wonder how to do that, and ~voila~ Jeeves (me) would speak up and answer. I had preferred the title Google Queen, but Jeeves is what stuck. So to bring back Jeeves for a moment, I am sharing the best of what I found for those who are on that journey to getting published.

Please begin your journey with my two previous posts of So You Wanna Get Published, featuring Mary DeMuth which also includes external links. (Part One and Part Two)

The Burton ReviewOn Writing & Agents:
Mary Danielson's blog as a guide to writing and living http://www.writechic.com/
Wylie-Merrick Literary Agency http://blog.wylie-merrick.com/
1000 Literary Agents, another database http://www.1000literaryagents.com/
Association of Authors’ Representatives http://www.aaronline.org/mc/page.do
Writer Beware http://www.sfwa.org/beware/
Agent Query ~ 2009 Best Website for Writers Award 5th Year in a Row~ http://www.agentquery.com/
Do's & Don'ts Summary http://www.duotrope.com/writers.aspx
WEBook Services http://www.webook.com/ and WE book blog(tips and resources) http://www.blog.webook.com/
Advice For Authors http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/08/advice_for_auth.html

The Burton Review
How to Market Your Book?
Obviously, Get Connected! The online social media network has so many different platforms for you to use. This is a must-do, and the more platforms you are visible, the better!
The Book Market has many different topics of Marketing http://www.bookmarket.com/
4300+ members at http://bookmarket.ning.com/ group to share ideas, tips and tricks.
Some Numbers regarding Self-Publishing http://www.financialpost.com/news-sectors/story.html?id=1871009
Duotrope's Digest: free writers' resource listing over 2550 current Fiction http://www.duotrope.com/index.aspx
Pitching Tips http://blog.wylie-merrick.com/search/label/pitching

The Burton Review

More on Publishing Tips:
Twitter! There are so many Publishing Articles that get twittered. Always put your website in your profile, regardless of what platform you are using.
I found this one immediately via Twitter: Literary Agent Nathan Bransford
Self-Publishing Tips on Publisher's Weekly Blog http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/660000266/post/1490045549.html
MidWest
book Review Self-Publishing http://www.midwestbookreview.com/bookbiz/advice/selfpub.htm
The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Tom Ross, informative google books view

The Burton Review

That's about all I am going to inundate you with. This So You Wanna Get Published Series has been fun for me and I hope it helps someone at some point. A big thank you to author Mary E. DeMuth for allowing me to film her speaking event. Be sure to visit her blog and show her some love as well. Her list of books can be found here and here.

Aug 11, 2009

So You Wanna Get Published ~Part Two~ Tips from Author Mary E. DeMuth & the Importance of the Blogger

Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Please refer to my introduction to this So You Wanna Get Published Series in my Part One Post here at The Burton Review.

Here is Part Two of the Guest Speaker Mary DeMuth, with her insights on how to get published.

Click only the middle red X to play the video. You will also get a pop-up of another window for an advertisement, just close that. Then click only the Green X in the middle of the video. And finally, on the bottom of the video at the left corner, click the play button arrow if it doesn't start playing. YouTube doesn't upload videos longer then 10 minutes so this was my only option.







Part Two (14 minutes long) consists of:

~Continuation of Literary Agents (Regional and small presses don't require an agent)

~Marketing the Book to Publishers

~The possibility of revising what comes naturally to you (set aside your first novel and start another)

~Differences between Non-Fiction Proposals and Fiction Queries

~Breaking into Publication via Local Publications (Check your reference library for how to write a proposal and how to submit it)

~Building your Platform

~Social Networking (online and publicly)

~How to Write Non-Fiction Proposals (PDF file at http://www.marydemuth.com/)

~Your Synopsis at Committee

~Editing Process

~Substantive or Developmental Edit, Line Edit

~Editorial letter for Fiction

~Advance Readers Copy (ARC = uncorrected proof)

~Marketing Plan from the Publisher (which continues on Part Three)


The Burton ReviewI am going to jump in here and give some of my editorial (my mini comments are also in the parentheses at the contents list above) at this point to those who are new to the Book Blog world because I do understand the importance of promotion and marketing and of course how the book blogger, such as I am, helps to influence and gain potential readers. If my fellow book bloggers do want to jump in here with advice for new authors, please feel free to comment with your advice and thoughts.

The ARC's (the advance reader copies) have been receiving a wider audience and more emphasis on book blogs, such as this one. These Advance editions can start coming out on an average of 6 months before the official publication date, and some contain many grammatical errors and typos, other are not so bad. I know of several publishers that aggressively seek out reviewers of books, and therefore they are more well known in the book blog world. I myself have been a book blogger who has been reviewing for publishers and authors since about April 2009, yet I am already bogged down with ARC's to review. I also receive galleys on occasion, which are very basic bound pages, generic covers and very pre-publication and it seems more like a final draft of the manuscript. For example, I have a copy of Girl Mary which comes out in September but I had received it probably in May sometime, and I still haven't had a chance to review it. But with the publication date being in September, I like to keep my reviews more in line to those dates so that potential buyers will be able to go out and have access to purchasing the book.
All of my free time is spent blogging, reading, and reviewing (& I work full-time and I have a family) and most book bloggers take this challenge very seriously, even if it technically is just a hobby since we do not get paid for it. A Book Blogger reviews the ARC online and builds a web presence for the book. Book Bloggers also post reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, LibraryThing, Shelfari, WeRead, Barnes & Noble, etc. as well as twittering about their reviews, which further promotes the book on other platforms besides the blog. The author themselves should also always be in contact as much possible to promote their own book, and should have an interactive platform to build web 'friends', either followers on a Blog, Twitter friends, Facebook, Fan bases on Goodreads, etc. The more friendly interaction that occurs between readers/reviewers and the author, the more positive feedback an author will receive in general. Anna Elliott, author of Twilight of Avalon, has been one of these authors for me. She has commented on my blog, and said thank you to everyone that reviews her book for her, and responds to the comments on her own blog. Medieval historical fiction author Susan Higginbotham also maintains a web presence with her own blog and regularly contributes to discussions within the genre that she writes of.

Freebies are a must do for a new author, and even for an established author promoting a new book. In order to gain readers, the new author needs to be willing to shell out some cash and giving their book out to those that will review it for them. You will obviously get a discount on your books you purchase from the publisher. Buy more, save more. The more copies of your books that you have on hand, the more freebies you can give out. It is common sense, building your readership is key before you can branch out and be a successful author. I understand you wanted to be a published author and make money from that, but with this tough economy readers who do not recognize your name or talent are going to be very hard pressed to shell out cash on your full-priced book. So fork out the cash on your end, aggressively pursue new readers, especially within the ever growing online communities such as the blogosphere. Outside of the online arena of promotion, the book blogger will also share their favorite reads with the 'real-life' friends and family, which is promoting the author's book behind the scenes.
For instance, I went to hear Mary DeMuth speak and then went to lunch the next day with a friend. I told her all about Mary's books, and gave her a bookmark that I received from the event. That full-color glossy front and back bookmark shows the two recent books that Mary wrote. That one bookmark can go a long way in getting noticed by new readers. These little freebie promo's (don't forget postcards, magnets, pins, pens, totes) are a wonderful tool for a new author to use for promotion. I once read an author's blog where he was at the post office and mailing out 15 of his books to reviewers, and the clerk was very interested in the subject matter of his book. He thumped his head and realized he needs to have extra copies of his book in his car so that he can give it out to people like that who would be thrilled and interested in reading his material. A little kindness goes a long way.
Another thing to remember are the giveaways that a Book Blogger does. Once a blogger puts up a review, it is the ideal time to offer up a giveaway to the blogger's followers. Sometimes the giveaway is for 5 copies of that book. The publisher/publicist most of the time mails out the books that are won via the giveaway once the mailing addresses are collected. On a side note, bloggers are generous people and also give away copies of books from their own library in order to promote camaraderie and readership of their own blog. Not only are they giving away a book, they are taking time out of their day to package it, mail it, pay for the postage etc.
Blog Tours are also a big part of promoting a book within the Book blogosphere. This is where a selected group of bloggers publish their reviews or a guest post from the author at a specific date. They link to the rest of the members of the blog tour as well, and a giveaway is most often featured. The guest blog from the author can cover any variety of topics, from what inspires the author or an essay of a particular aspect of the book itself. Instead of a guest post, an interview can be featured instead. A blog tour should be promoted on the author's website and most often in the groups where the publisher is a member of. Hachette Book Group sponsors many of the Blog Tours and their giveaways. Sometimes a blog tour is just the review itself. Here is a link to two of my blog tours with them: Follow Me by Joanna Scott Blog Tour and The Mating Rituals of A North American WASP by Lauren Lipton where each had an average of 50 commenter's. And a link to two of my favorite guest posts by authors Anna Elliott and C.W. Gortner.

All this is old news for my current readers, but I wanted to put this information in here and my thoughts on it while I was here for those who are new to this blog and came here by way of So You Wanna Get Published!
Any questions, and comments are welcomed!

Aug 10, 2009

So You Wanna Get Published ~Part One~ Tips from Author Mary E. DeMuth

Monday, August 10, 2009
Mary E. DeMuth, Author and Speaker
(Below is Part One, click for Part Two and Part Three)
Mary DeMuth is an accomplished author, speaker, mom, wife, blogger and of course an inspiration to women everywhere. She writes a blog devoted to tips for those who want to get published at Wannabepublished. Rather than be part of the Author's Secret Society Club, a promise that she made to herself if she ever became a published author was that she would in turn share her trade secrets with the world for those that are curious. She thrives on being a part of a writer's' journey towards publication. I had the opportunity to film one of the events that she hosted in our hometown, and I am thrilled to be able to share my experience with everyone everywhere.
The Burton ReviewI personally do not have any real experience on the Publishing business except for receiving and reviewing Advance Readers Copies. But during this series, I will share my thoughts and helpful links to places where I think you'll find some helpful information. Obviously, the first point of contact to recommend is Mary DeMuth and this link here at WannaBePublished as it shows her specific journey written out which is also highlighted in the videos.

Please be advised these videos are not stellar, not a movie for effects, it is here to just to learn what Mary had to say in a short amount of time (about a total 0f 40 minutes which will be spread out over the next few days). So sit back, relax and the keyword: listen to Mary's speech. And then it cuts off mid-sentence..(insert snarky smiley face here).. I apologize but then you have to watch Part Two. Click only the middle red X to play the video. You will also get a pop-up of another window for an advertisement, just close that. Then click only the Green X in the middle of the video. And finally, on the bottom of the video at the left corner, click the play button arrow. YouTube doesn't upload videos longer then 10 minutes so this was my only option.





Part One (about 14 minutes) discusses the following:

~Introduction to Mary, her career and her writing journey

~Giving Back (see my next post regarding more on giving back)

~Conferences (such as http://www.acfw.com/conference/ and http://writing.shawguides.com/)
~Proposals and Queries, what to do and not to do (also see http://www.fictionwriters.com/tips-query-letters.html)
~Literary Agents (watch out for irreputable agents and see AAR/ Association of Author's Representative http://www.aar-online.org/mc/page.do)

So, do YOU want to get published? Do you have any questions for Mary? She would love to answer them for you. Leave your comment here and Mary will come back to this post and answer them for you as they come.

For marketing, I have come across Bostick Communications who are very good at reaching out and marketing your book. They have a large database of reviewers and they will send out emails for a book that you are willing to mail out review copies of. The blurb: "This service offers authors, publicists, publishers and PR professionals the ability to send press releases regarding books published within the last year to our database of over 20,000 book reviewers, print, radio, television and internet media contacts as well as buyers in independent book stores for only $175." This is quite an effective tool.
Self-Publishing packages range from $799 to $3999 depending on what options you choose. Some examples here.

The next post will have more information on promotion, info on giveaways, and the importance of the online presence.

More about Mary DeMuth:
Wife, and Mom to two.
Author of Christian Fiction books, including the newer Defiance Texas Trilogy: Daisy Chain, (Book One) with Book Two releasing in October, 2009, A Slow Burn.
Also available for purchase are Wishing on Dandelions; Watching the Tree Limbs.
Parenting books include Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture; Building the Christian Family You Never Had; Ordinary Mom, Extraordinary God.
She began to speak at Professional Events in 2004 and has two blogs:
http://www.relevantblog.blogspot.com/
"So You Want to Be Published" She does a free critique a week there! Are you up for it? Visit her blog to get tips and ideas on your own writing technique.

You can also schedule an initial consult with Mary: $75 to evaluate your professional needs. This fee will be credited to whatever package you choose. Click here for more information.

Part Two Video coming tomorrow at 2:00 P.M., with a lot more of my editorial commenting specifically about the blogosphere, but for now please feel free to start asking questions about anything regarding publishing or a Mary DeMuth related questions and she will be checking in to answer them here.

Aug 6, 2009

I Met an Author & I Have a New Background!!

Thursday, August 06, 2009
Author Mary E. DeMuth (Wishing on Dandelions, Daisy Chain) had a speaking engagement at our local library this evening for which I had the pleasure of attending and filming. She is a very sweet lady, a mom, and an inspiration to us all. She loves giving out trade secrets on how to get published!
Today she had the gift of the first-hot-off-the-press copy of her very own book sent to her.. coming October 1 is A Slow Burn (Defiance Texas Trilogy, Book 2) and I got to touch this very first finished copy of the book! She shared so many goodies with us, I appreciate all the effort she puts forth to help others. Thank you Mary, for your wonderful insights!

Tonight she spoke of the certain do's and don'ts of the novice wanna-be-author. I am working on a full series of posts regarding this, so I am not at all prepared right now. I mention this prematurely only for those that were at the event and are looking for the video on how to get published by Mary DeMuth. (In the meantime you can visit Mary at The Writing Spa).
The video needs to be uploaded etc, but I wanted to say that you have come to the right place! If you would like for me to email you specifically when I begin my posts on Mary DeMuth please just leave a comment here with your email address and I will let you know when it is ready to go.


If you are a regular.. what do you think of my new Background? It used to be the Clover Vineyard style from the free backgrounds Gallery at The Cutest Blog on The Block, but I needed to do something that was unique to my blog only and not seen anywhere else!
I fuddy duddied with a background all last weekend, trying to make my own and get it uploaded properly and it was just centering a small version of it. I got frustrated and had the design team at The Cutest Blog on The Block design me my own Ivy Green and Cream background. So that way I can still use all my old tags/graphics and not have a total change to my blog. I liked the old one too, I just needed one that was MINE ;)
So what do you think? There is that red X there in the left corner, which I have just emailed them about to see if they can do something with that. Other than that, I'm happy. Did you see the cool little swirls by the sidebar titles? They did that too!
They are awesome! You can find their custom Blog design section of their site here. You can pick and choose all the different things that you need a change on, including a three column layout.. did you notice that change too? I love the fact that thy just go in and change all this for you, and the correspondence has been smooth. I ordered it on Monday.. and boom 99% done on Thursday.. just waiting on that red X to go away!