Showing posts with label the indie authors guide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the indie authors guide. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Being an Indie Author - Why I Love it

Happy Wednesday, good people of the blogosphere! I do hope you all enjoyed N.L. Greene's author interview from Monday. If you missed it, click here and take a look. She's an awesome Indie you should all get to know! Today, I'm going to point out a few things I love about being an Indie author and a few things that drive me batty. Strap in and sit back, this may get hairy!

Things I love about being Indie:
  • No sick days needed! I don't have to take sick days if I need a break
  • I can write whatever I want, whenever I want
  • There's no boss breathing down my neck because my deadlines are self-imposed
  • My covers are exactly the way I want them because I have the freedom of choice
  • Friends I've made via the Indie network (you know who you are)
  • Being able to take every weekend off and have time to spend with my family or coming up with new ideas
  • Dust bunnies tremble in fear of my weekdays off (I call them mental health days), and my house is clean as hell
  • My office, where I can do whatever I want and post stuff on the wall at my leisure
  • Changing up what I'm doing on any particular day just because I feel like it
  • Having promotional freedom
  • Keeping more of the money from my sales for myself
Now, with all that said...

Things that drive me batty about being Indie:
  • No signings or fabulous book stores that know my name
  • Not having a team of people to do things when I just don't have enough hours in a day
As you can see, my pros far outweigh my cons. Does that mean if a traditional publisher approached me about my MS I'd turn them down? I don't know. But I do know it would have to be a major press to even tempt me. I can say with 100% assurance I'd have to keep one foot in the Indie doorway no matter what. It's being able to write what I want that would keep me self-publishing.

My Mystic series has an agenda. Probably one no publisher would touch with a fifty-foot pole. I wrote it because I hoped people would read it and understand things aren't always binary. They need to walk in someone else's shoes to truly understand what those people go through. If just one person tells me someday that one of my books changed the way they looked at the world and the people in it, I'll be happy as a lark.

Riches aren't my goal with my books. Telling a great story that moves someone is what I'm after.

VIVA LA INDIE AUTHORS! I love you all so much!

Why do you love being Indie?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Thursday, October 3, 2013

The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! I was gonna write another review today, but I didn't get finished with the book I was reading. Since I never half-a$$ anything, I refuse to review before I'm done. Sorry! So, instead, I'm gonna talk about one of my books that's an asset for Indie authors. Why? Well, I see a ton of questions popping up all over the place about self-publishing. The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book has the answers you're looking for. Let's get going, shall we?

First, about the book:
Title: The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book
Author: Jo Michaels
Genre: Non-Fiction How-To
Length: 54 Printed pages
Links: Amazon $2.99 Smashwords $2.99 B&N $2.99

Description:
Indie author? Banging your head on your desk? You need The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. Not just for e-books. This guide contains helpful tips and tricks to make your book look like it came from a major publisher. Guided sections walk you through how to format your book for all platforms, how to create a dynamite cover, how to brand yourself as an author, and how to build a perfect book for printing. Indie authors, let's give the big houses a real run for their money!


I'm sure you're all wondering why I wrote this book. Well, it's because, like most Indie authors, I struggled to learn all I needed to know in order to self publish. I thought: Why not help others since I've been through a lot of this stuff and save them the headache?

It's not just about building books. It's about building your brand, your e-book, and your print book.

Why is it so short? Because it's also meant to be a pocket reference. Something that won't take up a ton of space in your bag or purse. A book you can carry with you everywhere. I priced it low because Indie authors just starting out don't usually have a ton of money to play with.

But in a book that short, what can you possibly get out of it?

To tell you the truth, I cut out all the fluff. It's very straight to the point. Here's a ToC for you to look over:

Section One – Branding Yourself
  • Choosing an Identity
  • Creating a Logo (or having one created for you)
  • Color Scheme Dos and Don’ts
  • Consistency is Queen – Because Kings are controlled by Queens!
Section Two – Formatting Your Manuscript
  • Dos and Don’ts when Writing Your Book
  • Quick Tips for Better Legibility
  • Building Your Save System
  • Different Formats for Different Platforms
Section Three – Building a Digital Cover
  • Size IS Important!
  • Images
  • Font Choices – Why does it Matter?
  • Using Layers
Section Four – Final Checks
  • Uploading and Proofing
Section Five – Business Considerations
  • Choosing your distributor(s)
  • Places to Sell and Market Your Book
Section Six – If Your Book is a Print Version
  • Your Book’s Guts
  • Orphans and Widows
  • Pesky Page Numbers
  • Running Headers
  • Cover Considerations
  • Explaining Bleed and Safety
  • Conversion to CMYK for print
  • Math Involved

Why do I feel I can write such a book with this kind of information?

Here's the forward from the book:
Before we begin, let me tell you the basic things you will need to format your book by these guidelines. If you have another program you’re more familiar with, use that. This book is meant to be a guide only.

I reference Adobe Photoshop for building covers in The Indie Author’s Guide to: Building a Great Book. If you use Gimp or some other image manipulation software and know where the panels I discuss in this book are, use your program.

I reference Microsoft Word 2007 for formatting interiors in The Indie Author’s Guide to Building a Great Book. If you know how to do the things outlined in this book in another program and prefer it, use yours.
In most of this book, I’m assuming you have a basic working knowledge of your chosen program and are familiar with tabs and menus.

I’m passing on knowledge that will help your book appear more professional in the mass market. Period.
My expertise lies in the field of Graphic Design and a lot of what you’ll find here imparts knowledge I learned during my studies and things I have discovered on my own while publishing my books. I spent a year as a Graphic Design tutor and was chosen amongst the other graduates in my final year to design the commencement cover (they loved it so much they used it again the following year).

I’ve listened to common complaints people have about self-published books and tried to address those areas here as well so we all look like we went to design school and have worked at a big publishing house our whole lives (or at the very least, that we can play with the big boys – and do it well).

Section six is the longest section because consideration of a print version of your book requires a lot of work. Follow me once and keep me around for a quick reference guide.

You may ask me additional questions via Twitter @WriteJoMichaels if you feel compelled to do so.
If you indulge in banging your head on the desk or tearing out your hair while reading this book (the very thing I’m trying to help you avoid – bald authors with red foreheads make us all look nuts), I take no responsibility. Enter at your own risk and enjoy!

As a funny, I also created an awesome mousepad over on Zazzle that screams to the world how this book saved you. check it out: TIAG Mousepad.

I hope this helps some of you achieve your dreams!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday, July 29, 2013

Recaps and a Winner

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, I bring you recaps of all the active rafflecopter giveaways going on and announce my Indie winner! I do hope you're all as excited about these prizes as I am. Here we go!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations to Alesha!

Good luck to you all! We'll be back with our regularly scheduled program tomorrow and talk about writing, editing, and formatting books for print.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday, March 18, 2013

Branding Step One

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! This week I'm gonna talk about branding yourself. No matter what business you're in, it's a good idea to have a brand; something that says, "Hey, look here! It's me and there's no doubt about it!" Today's post is all about having an image. So, grab your pens and notebooks and let's get going.

If you've read my book The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book, you'll know branding is the first thing I discuss.

Why is branding so important? Ask McDonald's, Nike, or Coca~Cola. Those golden arches, the swoosh, and that pretty red color are instantly recognizable. No matter where you are, those are branding standards.

These companies have entire books on how their logo can be displayed, used, and colorized. If you take a peek inside the book, you'll see the requirements of size, space around the logo, and color options. Here are a couple you should look at: UPS, McDonald's, Twitter, and Facebook. You can look up any brand you may be curious about by typing the company name and the words brand standards into a Google search box.

You should also have a brand standard. Your logo or headshot, used as an identifier, should have some sort of requirement when shown to the world by others or yourself. It's helpful to have a standard when asking a designer to build something for you.

If you don't have a logo or something akin, you may want to contact a designer or photographer and see what can be done about it. A good designer won't just shove a logo at you. They'll give you an identity. Once you have one, use it everywhere.

Tomorrow, I'm going into color schemes and why companies try to keep it simple (and why you should, too!).

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday, March 11, 2013

Squids! Ewwww - Day Eleven WABC

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Today, we discuss Squidoo. A site a know a little about, but haven't really poked around until today. Still rolling with the Winter Author Blog Challenge (four days left), here's the prompt:

Do you have a Squidoo lens? Founded by Seth Godin, Squidoo is a popular free site that enables users to create single webpages (known as lenses) about their interests and recommendations. Users can even earn money for charity or themselves. The credibility-building potential rivals Quora, but unlike question-answering sites, Squidoo users are free to create content of their choosing. The SEO rankings are quite high – but it remains incumbent upon the site’s users to double-check the veracity of information provided. Challenge questions: What are the benefits to using sites like Quora and Squidoo for building credibility? What can they offer that your website or blog doesn’t already do? How could this help you sell more books? If you are on Squidoo, remember share the link to your favorite lens.


I now have a profile there. I created a lens there this morning. You can find it here: Formatting Your Book for Print.

Okay, how did I just use Squidoo? I created a lens with an excerpt from my book on self-publishing. This gives folks a look inside, some information, and a buy link. I also included URLs from my two sites: Jo Michaels ~ Author Blog and Indie Books Gone Wild.

By creating that lens, I gave folks a peek into what my book can do for them. If I wanted to create a lens to drive people to buy Yassa, my book on Genghis Khan's coming-of-age, I would talk about the man himself and what kind of things he went through to get to where he was when he died.

I can see the usefulness of Squidoo and I've been meaning to do what I did this morning for a while. Thank you, Laura, for pushing me to get it done. I think, unlike Quora, Squidoo can be a bigger help because you don't have to start with a question from someone else to get the ball rolling. You can answer a question you know lingers in the world wide web with your expertise and go from there. No prompting needed beyond your own drive.

I have a ton of work calling my name today. I hope you all enjoy the lens and take your own steps to creating one today! I look forward to seeing what others can do with Squidoo.

That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Ouch! Your Pin Stuck Me! - Day Five WABC

Happy Tuesday! My good people, today's topic is Pinterest. Another prompt from the Winter Author Blog Challenge brings up a number of questions I'm glad to answer. Hey, we're all learning here, right? So sit back, relax, and drink your coffee as you read; beginning with today's prompt:

One of the newest and fastest growing social media platforms is Pinterest. Have you jumped on board? What kinds of images do (or could) you post that are related to your book or the topic of your book? What other kinds of images do you post? Are you linking each post back to your blog, website, or Amazon page? IF YOU’RE NOT USING Pinterest, what’s holding you back? Take a look at book marketer extraordinaire John Kremer’s Pinterest Boards. After perusing them, how MIGHT you use Pinterest to brand yourself and your book? Is it something you’re considering? Be sure to give us your Pinterest link.





I'm a member of Pinterest. You can find my boards here: WriteJoMichaels  I post a lot of my book covers and blog posts there, as well as images from blogs I love to visit. Like I do on my blog, I try to provide useful content beyond shoving my books in your face and screaming, "Buy my book!" While I'd love it if folks ran out and bought my books, I try not to shove it down their throats so much.

I have boards for useful things I find, quotes I love, and one that's just for The Best Boyfriend in the World. Things I want to share with him and loving sentiments get plastered all over that one. I just can't help myself!

I don't link everything back to my own blog or Amazon page because not everything I post there has to do with my stuff.

After looking through John Kremer's boards, I see he does the same but has a lot more boards than I do. I tend to run lean on Pinterest because it's a time suck if I allow it to be. I much prefer Facebook and Twitter.

I have an announcement to make! Thanks to a heads up by the lovely +Jo Harrison, I've enrolled in Smashwords' Read an EBook Week. From midnight tonight PST, my ebooks on Smashwords will all be on sale. The Abigale Chronicles will be $0.99 each (books 1 & 2), Yassa will be just $2.25, and The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book will be FREE. This promotion will run until 11:59pm on March 9th. Here's the link to my profile: Jo Michaels. I hope you all go peruse the selection catalog when it goes live tonight at midnight.


What have you found daunting about Pinterest?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday, March 4, 2013

LinkedOut - Day Four WABC

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! Oooooh, I heard that groan! I know, another work week just began and you all want to go back to bed. Well, you can do that after you read this post! Ha! My topic for today is LinkedIn. I call it LinkedOut because I'm out of the loop on most of its glorious possibilities. But more on that after the prompt for today:

LinkedIn is a business-oriented social networking site. Launched in May 2003, it has undergone many metamorphoses – the most recent of which involved retiring two of its most popular features, LinkedIn Events and LinkedIn Answers. Are you using LinkedIn to promote yourself as an author? Does your professional profile include or feature your writing? What is the best connection you’ve made through your involvement on LinkedIn? With whom would you still like to connect? Might LinkedIn be a good vehicle for making such a connection? What is your biggest question, frustration, or suggestion regarding LinkedIn? IF YOU’RE NOT USING LinkedIn, why not? Here’s a good overview of LinkedIn’s features. After perusing it, how MIGHT you use LinkedIn to help build your author profile? Is it something you’re considering? Be sure to give us the link to your LinkedIn profile.


I'm on LinkedIn, I just don't use it to its full potential. My profile has a lot of stuff on it, again, branded as my other sites are, but it hasn't been nearly as helpful as Facebook or Twitter for my promotional network.

Don't get me wrong, it's great for business connections! I just tend to focus more on connecting with readers than I do with businesses. Those readers are active on Facebook and Twitter, not LinkedIn. They're not business owners. My target market doesn't 'hang out' on LinkedIn.

My best connection over there is The Greatest Boyfriend in the World. He has one of the top 100 profiles on LinkedIn and sometimes reposts my stuff for me. I do have a complete listing of my books on my profile there and, I'd say the one book I have that would help the folks there is: The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. Though it needs an update to include a couple of very handy tools I've run across in the last week.

No words of wisdom for others on how to use it, because I'm certainly LinkedOut.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Thursday, December 20, 2012

12 Days of Christmas Day 11

Isn't it strange that I had exactly ten comments yesterday? Congratulations, commenting people of the blogosphere! You've all won a copy of Mystic~Bronya! I'll be in touch shortly to find out how to get you your prize if I don't know already (if you haven't won before). If I do know, watch your inbox! The winners are: Angela G, bashashhazbaz, Andrea B, Hayley L, Becky F, Tom A, Felicia T, Sarwah O, Marc N, and Mark M!


Tomorrow is the last day of the giveaway. I know, I'm sad, too! But I have a special announcement for you all so make sure you come back for that! Let's get on to today: Thursday, December 20 - Eleven people who comment will win an e-copy of Mystic~Lily!!

As yesterday, before I get to the part where I tell you how to enter, I'm going to list the books that were pitched so far and note the winners.
Andrea Buginsky - The Chosen Amazon link $0.99 *WINNER*
Michael Cargill - Underneath Amazon link $3.30 *WINNER*
Jennifer Lafferty - Offbeat Love Stories and More Amazon link $0.99
Jacques Antoine - Sen No Sen Amazon link $4.99
Brian Bigelow - Horror Bent Amazon link $2.99
Seeley James - The Geneva Decision: Pia Sabel #1 Amazon link $5.99
LJ - Fighting Destiny #1 Amazon link $3.99
Eric Dulin - Condemned (Deus Ex Machina Series) Amazon link $2.99 *WINNER*
Deborah Armstrong - Forever Love Amazon link $3.49 *WINNER*
Kate Baggott - Love From Planet Wine Cooler Amazon link $4.99
David Manuel - Killer Protocols (Richard Paladin Series) Amazon link $3.99
Aaron Saylor - Sewerville: A Southern Gangster Novel Amazon link $3.99
Ryan Astaphan - Travelphan: Fear, Faith, & Glory in a Journey Across Asia Amazon link $7.99
Michael Meyer - Deadly Eyes Amazon link $2.99
Ginney Etherton - Looping in Limbo (Lainey Tidwell Series) Amazon link $2.99 *WINNER*
S.J. Hunter - Longevity Amazon link $2.99
Felicia Tatum - The White Aura Amazon link $2.99
Brian Author Levene and Anon Beauty - The Other Girls Get Lucifer Everyday Amazon link $4.99 FREE today!
Troy Jackson - The Elementals Amazon link $4.99
Rebecca Elswick - Mama's Shoes Amazon link $3.79
Angela Graff - The Awakening Amazon link $2.99 *WINNER*
Hayley Linfield - The Truth about Dandelions Amazon link $5.99
Tom Abrahams - Sedition Amazon link $2.99
Sarwah Osei-Tutu - Bingo: One Woman's Journey Through Life Amazon link $4.99
Marc Nash - Time After Time Amazon link $2.99
Mark Mackey - Kristen Flemings in a Ghost Story Amazon link $0.99

I still have two more to buy. Remember, if you're not a winner yet, that doesn't mean you're out of the running, you're still on the list and I'll be reading a sample of your work. Looping in Limbo got me from the sample, The Awakening got me from the pitch.

Now for today's way to enter:
Tell me what your biggest complaint is about the human race and what book you've read in your lifetime that put things in perspective for you.

If you have a book to pitch, do that in part two of your comment. If not, just let your word-soaked brain go nuts on part one!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

12 Days of Christmas Day 10

Holy moly, Batman! Responses yesterday were off the charts! I'm excited so many of you are up for a review. Before I get to the meat and potatoes, here are yesterday's winners: Becky F, Brian B, Kate B, bashashhazbaz, Ginney E, Sheila H, Michael C, Ryan A, and Jacques A. Congratulations to you all! I'll be in touch today to find out where to send your prizes! Snapshot of the random.org drawing:
On to today's prize! For Wednesday, December 19 - Ten people who comment will win an e-copy of Mystic~Bronya! It's the first book of the Mystic series and is Paranormal Fiction.
Now, an impromptu surprise for you all! I'm making a list with links (I know how you all love lists). And the three books I'm buying today are highlighted in the list. Congratulations to those three authors! If you pimped your book, it will remain on my list. I still have four more to choose over the next two days. But come and do the daily tasks at your chance to win some great reads!

Indie authors who pimped their books yesterday were:
Michael Cargill - Underneath Amazon link $3.30 *WINNER*
Jennifer Lafferty - Offbeat Love Stories and More Amazon link $0.99
Jacques Antoine - Sen No Sen Amazon link $4.99
Brian Bigelow - Horror Bent Amazon link $2.99
Seeley James - The Geneva Decision: Pia Sabel #1 Amazon link $5.99
LJ - Fighting Destiny #1 Amazon link $3.99
Eric Dulin - Condemned (Deus Ex Machina Series) Amazon link $2.99 *WINNER*
Deborah Armstrong - Forever Love Amazon link $3.49 *WINNER*
Kate Baggott - Love From Planet Wine Cooler Amazon link $4.99
David Manuel - Killer Protocols (Richard Paladin Series) Amazon link $3.99
Aaron Saylor - Sewerville: A Southern Gangster Novel Amazon link $3.99
Ryan Astaphan - Travelphan: Fear, Faith, & Glory in a Journey Across Asia Amazon link $7.99
Michael Meyer - Deadly Eyes Amazon link $2.99
Ginney Etherton - Looping in Limbo (Lainey Tidwell Series) Amazon link $2.99
S.J. Hunter - Longevity Amazon link $2.99
Felicia Tatum - The White Aura Amazon link $2.99
Brian Author Levene and Anon Beauty - The Other Girls Get Lucifer Everyday Amazon link $4.99 FREE today!
Troy Jackson - The Elementals Amazon link $4.99
Rebecca Elswick - Mama's Shoes Amazon link $3.79

Remember, the rest of you aren't out of the running, you just didn't get chosen today. I chose three today instead of two because I only got to buy one yesterday! There will be two tomorrow and two the day after.

Lovely readers, here's how you can enter to win today:
Follow my reviews on Goodreads. Go read at least one and give it a like (this way you can see how I write reviews and what I look for) I'll get a notification when you like it. Then come back here and tell me what you liked/didn't like about my review process.

Part 2 of your comment should pimp your book if you haven't already. There are still two days left to win a buy and a review from me.

Good luck to you all!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

12 Days of Christmas Day 9

Can you believe there are only four more days in the giveaway? But some of the best books are happening now! I had three comments yesterday so those three people win a copy of Yassa! No drawing needed! I love not having to tell people they didn't win! So, congratulations to bashashhazbaz, Heather, and Andrea! I'll be sending your prizes over shortly.

Andrea, I'll be buying your book The Chosen today and I can't wait to delve in! It sounds like a wonderful story! You've won a purchase by me, a read, and a full review posted everywhere your book is available and a writeup here on my blog! Congratulations!
Now, on to the fun for Tuesday, December 18 - Nine people who comment will win a Mystic bookmark and one each of the postcards below. They look like this:

Bookmark Back


 


Bookmark Front


Postcard 1


Postcard 2


Postcard 3









Here's how to enter today: Go check out my Categorized Link List. Then come back and leave a comment telling me if there's a topic you'd like to see, as a reader or writer, that isn't there.

Don't forget! If you're an author, there's still seven purchases up for grabs. Pimp your book in part two of your comment. Tell me why you wrote it, why I should read it, and leave me a link so I can go check it out.

Good luck everyone!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Monday, December 17, 2012

12 Days of Christmas Day 8

It's the eighth day in my giveaway! Can you believe it's been eight days already? WOW! Happy Monday, everyone. I know it's the beginning of the week but Christmas is right around the corner now and I hope you've all gotten a chance to give something wonderful to those you love. I had five comments yesterday so by default, those five people win a copy of The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. The winners are: Lionel, Andrea, Becky, Sandi, and Beth. Congratulations to you all! You'll be getting your prizes shortly so watch your inbox and spambox!

Repeat from yesterday's post: On a side note, bashashhazbaz, I need you to shoot me an e-mail please. Yassabook2012 at gmail dot com. You have two prizes now that I need to get to you but I can't find your contact info anywhere. Thanks!!

For today, Monday, December 17 - Eight people who comment will win an e-copy of Yassa.

And today is the day I'm going to give you the chance to sell me your book! Well, sort of. I'll choose two indie books each day from now until the end of the twelve days and buy them. That's eight books total. Your job is to tell me why I must read them.

So, to enter the contest for today it's a two part comment:
Part 1: Tell me what law you would create to keep peace in your army. Yassa was a law created by Genghis Khan that decreed: When you pledge your loyalty to another person, you must uphold that loyalty no matter what. There was only one punishment for breaking Yassa law: death. Hey, it worked for Genghis!

Part 2: Tell me a little about your book and leave me a link so I can go check it out. If I don't choose your book on the first day, don't worry! You still have four more days to convince me. It can be your book, a book you've read, or the book of a client but they must be INDIE. Things I want to know: WHY you wrote it or read it, what age range it's geared toward, and what you love most about it.

So, there you have it. I read ALL genres and there's very little I won't try.

Good luck to you all!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Sunday, December 16, 2012

12 Days of Christmas Day 7

Happy Sunday, good people of the blogosphere! There were only three entries yesterday so, by default, those people win copies of The Abigale Chronicles - Book 3. It's Abigale and Emmett in a magical realm of fairies, dragons, and an evil prince named Magnus. I hope you all enjoy the heck out of it! The winners are: bashashhazbaz, Becky, and Andrea! Congratulations to you all!

On a side note, bashashhazbaz, I need you to shoot me an e-mail please. Yassabook2012 at gmail dot com. You have two prizes now that I need to get to you but I can't find your contact info anywhere. Thanks!!


On to today's prize! On Sunday, December 16 - Seven people who comment will win an e-copy of The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book

To enter, leave a comment telling me what your biggest struggle as an Indie author has been as far as publishing goes. 

Good luck everyone! This is one of those books you'll wish you'd had from the beginning of your indie journey!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Saturday, December 15, 2012

12 Days of Christmas Day 6

It's the weekend! Happy Saturday, everyone! I bet you're all excited to find out who won yesterday's giveaway, right? Well, here we go! The winners are... *drumroll* Beth, Shannon, Heather, Andrea, and Sandi! Congratulations to you all! I'll be in touch shortly to find out how to get you your prize!
On the table for Saturday, December 15 - Six people who comment will win an e-copy of The Abigale Chronicles - Book 3

Here's how to enter:
Go agree with the tags or add some of your own on the book's Amazon page. Then come back here and leave a comment telling me what you would do if you were the prince or princess of a kingdom.

Don't forget, the day is still coming when I'll give you the chance to sell your book to me! Might be tomorrow, might be day 8, 10, or even 12. But whichever day it is, that's how many books I'll buy from my fellow indies :)

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Friday, December 14, 2012

12 Days of Christmas Day 5

Happy freakin' Friday, good people of the blogosphere! I have a number of announcements today so please bear with me!! First, the winners of yesterday's fun!
Congratulations to: Sandi, Lionel, bashashhazbaz, and Andrea! You've all won an ecopy of The Abigale Chronicles - Book 2! Guess what it's about? That's right, CATS! Your cat stories were hilarious and I loved reading about them. Thank you for the entertainment! I'll be in touch shortly to find out how to get you guys your prize!

Our prize for Friday, December 14 - Five people who comment will win $5 to spend over on Amazon

Before I get to today's task and how to enter, I have a super special surprise for you folks that voted in the reader's choice cover post from the other day. I'm headed over to random.org with your names and the top two selections will win an 11"x17" poster of the winning cover! Ohmygosh, right? So, here I go...
Congratulations to: Tia and Heather! You ladies won posters that will look like this:
Yup, that's the winning cover design! It'll be published sometime in February. I'll be in touch to find out how to get you your prizes! Now, on to today's fun task!
The task for today is: Go give my Amazon author page a like (if you haven't already) and come back and comment here telling me what you love most about reading. Tomorrow morning at 8am EST, I'll plug the names in and randomize FIVE winners. Those five people will get a $5 Amazon gift card. Good luck to everyone!

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Thursday, December 13, 2012

12 Days of Christmas Day 4

Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is Friday and Day FIVE. You all know what that means! We only had one participant yesterday, Ms. Sandi Tuttle. So, she wins! Congratulations, Sandi! I'll be in touch shortly to find out where to send your prize! On to the fun for today!
The prize for Thursday, December 13 - Four people who comment will win an e-copy of The Abigale Chronicles - Book 2

Your topic for today is:
Cats! That's right, cats. Tell me about a cat you've either had or known and loved in a comment on this post. You have until 8am tomorrow to enter to win! I'll enter the names into random.org and choose a winner at that time. Good luck to you all!

Remember, because they're ecopies, this giveaway is international.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

200th Post Giveaway!

Hello, good people of the blogosphere! This is my 200th blog post! Talk about exciting! My stats are off the charts and I have my followers, fans, and friends to thank.

As a HUGE thank you, I'm doing a giveaway of all my books. That's right, even Shelia, the third book in my Mystic series. It won't be published until December 21st (doomsday) so this is a unique contest. International!

Enter below and win something :) Information/synopsis/cover art can be seen here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Again, thank you all for visiting and being fans of my books and blog.

BIG HUGS!

That's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Friday, October 26, 2012

lOOk at YoUr bUsiNeSS CaRd

Hello, lovely people of the blogosphere! This week will be a designer's look at what you're doing on different platforms and will be called lOOk at YoUr xXx. Follow along and learn! Today I'd like to talk to you all about your business card(s).

A business card might not seem very important. After all, it's just a tiny piece of card stock folks either file away, throw away (yikes!), or stick in a Rolodex, right? Wrong. A business card is oftentimes your one chance to make an awesome first impression. By now you know the drill, so get out your pencils and paper and follow along. Read carefully because I'm going to be giving you tips you may not have ever heard.

Get out your card (either printed or a digital version) and let's start with what you're doing now.
Observations:
  1. Is your phone number prevalent?
  2. Is your name or pen name easy to read?
  3. How big is your card?
  4. How many pieces of information are on it (name, phone number(s), url, blog, twitter, book title(s), etc...)?
  5. What are your images?
  6. How many colors are you using?
  7. Can someone tell at a glance that your card matches your site/blog/twitter?
  8. Are all elements aligned the same (left, right, center)?
  9. Does your card have a die-cut?
  10. Rounded corners?
Now, let's see how your answers measure up and how we can fix some common issues:
  1. What can you do to fix the readability of your card?
  2. Can you add your real name in addition to your pen name?
  3. Does your card really need to be bigger than a standard size?
  4. How many pieces of information do you need? Write down the ones you cannot live without.
  5. What images can you add/change for better branding?
  6. Do you really need fifty colors? Remember your branding and try to stick with one or two plus black.
  7. Consider a couple of ways you can make your card fit your brand.
  8. How can you make that info/image line up?
  9. Do you really need a die-cut or rounded corners?

Here's some tips and tricks to building a better business card:
  1. Make your phone number obvious and a good point size (I recommend 11pt or up for a phone number). After all, if you're giving someone your card, you generally want a phone call, right? Think about using . instead of - in your phone number because it takes up less room. Example: (800) 435-6817 as compared to 800.435.6817 and you can Kern those together.
  2. Look at your fonts. If you branded and chose a font back from Monday's post, make sure your name appears in the one that's easiest to read.
  3. I know you'll tell me I'm crazy, but a lot of people still use a standard Rolodex. They punch cards and stick them in there. If your card doesn't fit, it's going in the garbage. 3.5"x2", please.
  4. While more information may seem better, sometimes it's just not and can cause a cluttered look on your card. Choose that which you cannot live without and ditch the rest. I suggest name, phone number (really just need one here), website, and Twitter @. If you can't live without your cell phone number, fax number, amazon author page, blog, and twenty other URLs, you may want to hand out posters instead. Just sayin'.
  5. Is your logo or headshot on there? If not, add it. Use a black and white photo to keep printing costs down.
  6. Use your brand color(s). Keep in mind you can use 50% opacity on those and get a whole new range of options for the same price!
  7. If you don't need a die-cut or rounded corners (you don't), get rid of them. They invade your printable area and make your print job more expensive.
  8. Think about being unique. What about a business card on the end of a bookmark (for authors) or on a magnet for the fridge? It's all in the little things you do. The bookmarks don't even have to be perforated, just have a line where folks should cut it away. BRILLIANT!
Now on to a tip not a lot of folks know about. There's an app for many smartphones that allows you to scan a QR code containing contact information and adds it right to your contacts. Might it not be a good idea to have that QR code printed somewhere on your card? Then, someone can scan your card and have all your information in their phone as well.

Check out this nifty little site: http://www.qrstuff.com/

Then, if you have the app, scan my code below to see how it works. **NOTE** phone number and address have been changed to protect the innocent!!

Now that's just cool. I don't care who you are.

Find more tips like these in my book The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book and take your future to new heights. It's just $2.99 on Amazon. Don't want to buy one? Enter my great giveaway to win one! Three are available. Today is the last day to enter.

Did you enjoy my five day's worth of lessons? Download a free PDF and keep them forever! Follow the link: Give me the PDF!!!!

No e-mail address or login required. Enjoy!

Question of the day: Have you learned anything this week?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Thursday, October 25, 2012

lOOk at YoUr tWitTeR

Hello, lovely people of the blogosphere! This week will be a designer's look at what you're doing on different platforms and will be called lOOk at YoUr xXx. Follow along and learn! Today I'd like to talk to you all about your Twitter page. It's just as important as everything else you use.

Grab those pencils and paper and let's get going. As usual, we'll begin by looking at what you DO, then we'll get into how to FIX it. Let's begin...

Observations:
  1. What is your background?
  2. When you open the page, do you go, "Oooooooooh! Nice!"?
  3. Do you have consistency with your blog, website, and Facebook?
  4. Have you begun to use the new layout? If yes, what's your header background?
  5. What's your icon?
  6. What colors do your links and tweets appear in?
  7. Do you do a lot of promotion for others as well as yourself?
  8. What does your description say?
  9. What is your @handle? 
Answer these for insight to the Q&A above:
  1. How can you change your background to give that wow factor?
  2. What can you do to increase consistency?
  3. How might you use your logo or branding image with Twitter?
  4. Can you change your icon to your branding image (logo/face/etc...)?
  5. Come up with a color scheme if you haven't already.
  6. Is it feasible to prowl Twitter a couple of times a day and re-tweet a couple of people?
  7. Can you simplify your description and lead folks to your books at the same time?
  8. Is your @handle the title of your book?
Tips on implementing some of your ideas:
  1. Build your own Twitter background with image software that allows you to specify size. Be sure to include your logo or name somewhere. I've seen a few that do a collage of book covers and it looked pretty awesome. The only drawback I can see there is folks getting overwhelmed with imagery.
  2. Update your icon with either your logo or your face.
  3. Update your badge with a nifty background or color scheme that matches your brand.
  4. Be consistent with your colors. Customize whatever you can here. You can specify what colors your tweets and links appear in.
  5. Promote other people as well as yourself.
  6. Rewrite your description as many times as you need to in order to say as much as you can in as few words/characters as possible.
  7. Your @handle should be your pen name or business name. Not a product or book title. After all, what happens when you write another book or expand your Twitter to include something else? Worried you'll lose all your followers? If they love you, they'll appreciate a DM (direct message) telling them what name you're changing to. Those that don't heed the advice aren't worth it anyway.
Find more tips like these in my book The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book and take your future to new heights. It's just $2.99 on Amazon. Don't want to buy one? Enter my great giveaway to win one! Three are available.

Question of the day: Are you finding these tips and tricks easy to follow? Are you feeling more put-together?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

lOOk at YoUr fAceBoOk

Hello, lovely people of the blogosphere! This week will be a designer's look at what you're doing on different platforms and will be called lOOk at YoUr xXx. Follow along and learn! Today I'd like to talk to you all about FaceBook pages. No, not your personal page that you add your best high-school buds to. Your business or fan page.

Go grab those pencils and paper and let's dive right in. You know the drill, right? First, let's see how you measure up.

Answer these questions about your FaceBook page:
  1. Is your cover image all about you or your titles?
  2. Are your links easy to find?
  3. Do you know who you are at a glance (without clicking around)?
  4. If a visitor leaves FaceBook after a glance, do they know what you're selling?
  5. How many posts do you make per day?
  6. Where can visitors find your promotions?
  7. Does your cover image fit or is it cropped?
  8. Is your FaceBook page branded to match your blog/website/twitter? 
  9. Are you using Timeline?
Based on your observations, answer the following:
  1. Can you rebrand your cover image and icon(s) so people know more about what you do?
  2. Where can you put your links so they're easy to find?
  3. How many places can your name go?
  4. What kind of content could you include to let visitors know what your products are?
  5. How many posts could you make per day?
  6. Are your images the best quality they can be?
  7. Why aren't you using Timeline?
Now, go check out this post by Liberty on how to add things like cover images for your tabs, install apps, and size requirements. Then come on back and let's implement those ideas.

A few tips on fixing the above:
  1. Upgrade to Timeline. Please. It will give you a million more options.
  2. Design your cover image in some kind of software (Liberty mentions Gimp and it's a good alternative) that allows you to specify size. Create a new image per the requirements and brand that puppy. On a side note, I've heard authors say their book covers are their brand and they couldn't be more correct. However, what happens when you have more than one book? I strongly suggest branding yourself with either: your face, a logo, your name in a specific font, or a font + a color scheme. If you use your face, have a professional photograph taken, please!
  3. Put your links on your about page or add your url to your cover image in a way that's not annoying. For example: If you use YourName in large letters, you can add .com in smaller letters on the end.
  4. Make sure your name either appears in your cover image OR your icon. Even if your icon is your face, add your name to it. Won't hurt, will help.
  5. Make sure folks know what books you've written or what you're selling at a glance. You have ten seconds to make an impression. Please make one that lasts.
  6. How can you add valuable content via posts to your timeline? When you see something you like while browsing with your personal page, share it on your business page as well.
  7. Add apps or icons with your promotions. This can be as simple as a rafflecopter embed. Trust me, just do eet!
  8. Make sure your images are at least 72dpi. No one wants to look at a blurry photograph.
  9. Once you have your name, book covers, and logo or image on there, consider your branded color scheme and add elements of those as well. Remember your icon will overlap your cover image a bit on the lower, left-hand side. Design accordingly.
Remember, you can get tips like these in my book The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book. For just $2.99 I talk branding, formatting, and design for indies.

Don't forget to enter the blog party giveaway! There's three copies of The Indie Author's Guide in there just waiting for you to win!

If anyone noticed, I added ten signed Mystic/WSTW bookmarks to the giveaway! Enjoy and good luck!

Question of the day: Did you know everything above? Are you interested in learning more about branding?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

lOOk at YoUr wEbSitE

Hello, lovely people of the blogosphere! This week will be a designer's look at what you're doing on different platforms and will be called lOOk at YoUr xXx. Follow along and learn! Today I'd like to talk to you all about your website. If you don't own yourname.com, you should. There are a lot of easy and free website building platforms out there, just Google it.

If you have a website, let's look at things that you're currently doing you might want to change. Grab that pencil and paper and let's get going! If you don't, read through anyway and take notes on what to do and what not to do when you design one.

Examine the following:
  1. How long does it take your page to load?
  2. Do you have obnoxious music blaring?
  3. Would someone who didn't know what your site was about be able to tell in just a few seconds?
  4. Is your page interactive or nicely colored?
  5. Is your page easy to read?
  6. Can anyone navigate easily?
  7. Contact information easy to find?
  8. What is your ultimate goal?
  9. More than two fonts?
  10. Do you know what page of your site you're on at a glance?
  11. Can you get to another page without back-browsing?
  12. Does your visitor have to scroll at all? 
Now answer these with your observations:
  1. Can you remove clutter or downsize items so they load faster?
  2. Is that Beethoven's 9th really necessary?
  3. If no tagline, where can you put one to tell a visitor why they're on your page?
  4. What interactivity can you add or colors can you change?
  5. Do you really need a blue, purple, or red font on a black background?
  6. Are visitors hitting a splash page or your main site when they click (do they have to click again to get to the actual site)?
  7. Can you add dynamic links to make navigation easier? Where?
  8. If someone wanted to contact you, how would they? Can you make it easier?
  9. Ultimate goal is a sale or a return visit?
  10. What two fonts are your favorite (one serif and one sans serif, please)?
  11. Think about highlighting the page the person is on in the menu.
  12. Can you resize elements to eliminate the scroll?
Try these tips to fix those common errors:
  1. Resize your images to 72dpi. All of them. Use thumbnails when you can.
  2. Delete the music track. A lot of people listen to music as they browse and will shut your page down quickly if it interferes with their mojo.
  3. Change the title and add a tagline. If you're an author, tell folks this is your official author site and who you are or why they should poke around/buy your books.
  4. Change your fonts so they are either all the same or there are only TWO. More than one in the same family looks like a mistake. So, choose either a serif and a sans serif, a script and a serif, or a script and a sans serif. But be consistent!
  5. Watch your colors. Try for no more than three plus black (headline color, text color, link color, visited link color). Be consistent. If links are in blue, make them all appear in blue.
  6. Highlight the page title in the menu when a person is on that page of your site. If they're on the contact page, it should be showing up a different color than the other page links.
  7. You'll have page links that either take you to a splash page for additional content or directly to the first page of the additional content. Add some dynamic links here so folks can navigate easily. I'll go into the difference of static and dynamic elements and how to use them in a post next week.
  8. Is your ultimate goal a book purchase? Make it easy for folks to get from point A to point B and buy your book. A follow? Give them an easy way to follow with only a click or two. 
  9. Everything should show up without scrolling. Resize everything you can and leave nothing hanging off the edges of sidebars or content areas.
  10. One bonus tip: Use the X and Y axis numbers so things line up. You'll be surprised how much better it makes your site look. 
Overall, your site should be clean, not need ten minutes to load your content, state clearly who you are, not blare music at your visitor, and be easy to navigate without the use of the back button. KISS (Keep it Simple, Stupid) your visitor every time and they'll be happy as larks and want to return often.

Find more tips like these in my book The Indie Author's Guide to: Building a Great Book and take your future to new heights. It's just $2.99 on Amazon. Don't want to buy one? Enter my great giveaway to win one! Three are available.

Question of the day: Did you find any of these common errors on your site? Did you take steps to change your content in some way?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo