May 19, 2013 by mandyevebarnett
Posted in Writing | Tagged publishers, work in progress, blogging, wordpress, blogs, tools, critique, awards, Sunday Snippets, apology, Every Sunday, back pain | 2 Comments »
May 18, 2013 by mandyevebarnett
Ineluctable - definition: impossible to avoid or evade : inevitable
As our writing journey begins we are immersed in our words, characters and plots – this is the honeymoon stage of writing. Our creativity runs free, there are no obstacles, anything is possible. Once our story is written there is the inevitable editing, revision and practical aspects to work through and consider. With a polished manuscript before us we need to look at the ‘advertising’ side of this journey.
Many of us have no experience of media or a promotional background so this becomes a daunting prospect. I found this great post by Jamie Sheffield, which lists tips for marketing. Go check it out.
http://www.jamiesheffield.com/2013/04/9-marketing-tips-from-writer-who-hates.html
Obviously there are companies that offer to help you with promotion and the internet is full of helpful guides and tips from other authors. You need to find your comfort level and determine how much time you want to commit to this aspect of your journey. Some of us may ‘go all out’ but in practical terms we still have to balance the other facets of our lives.
Research your options and find the ones that you are most comfortable with and focus on them. Trying to promote on multiple sites several times a day is certainly not practical and will only lead to a ‘burn out’ as well as frustration. Focus on genre specific sites and use your connections (although care must be taken here too!) Be realistic in your expectations – slowly build a following and the sales will come.
Posted in Writing | Tagged advertising, arts, author, blog, books, genre, literature, manuscript, marketing, marketing tips, novels, promtion, writer, Writing and Editing, writing journey, writing tips | Leave a Comment »
May 17, 2013 by mandyevebarnett
I’ve been interviewed to discuss my writing space over at No Wasted Ink by Wendy Van Camp – pop on over.
http://nowastedink.com/2013/05/17/writing-space-mandy-eve-barnett/
Thanks to Wendy for including me. How do you feel about your space? Care to share?
Today’s word has no connection – Precipice – definition: a very steep and high face of a rock or mountain : cliff.
Posted in Writing | Tagged author, books, business, Ink, literature. precipice, novels, writer, writing, writing habits, writing space | 1 Comment »
May 16, 2013 by mandyevebarnett
Bluster – definition: to talk or act in a noisy, boastful way.
One way to ‘turn people off’ around you is boasting about your accomplishments, it is seriously uncool! If you share your triumphs and give back with them then that is much more acceptable. Therefore I am sending out a huge thank you to my newest followers – I hope my words and encouragement will help you along your writing journey. As always I love to hear about your own experiences. That is the premise of my blog and the global community it is linked to.
I’m open to suggestions for topics and love sharing others enlightening words as well as have an open door policy if another author would like to be interviewed.
Posted in Writing | Tagged arts, authors, blog, blogging, community, followers, literature, Open Door Policy, thank you, tips, writers, writing journey, wrodpress.com | Leave a Comment »
May 15, 2013 by mandyevebarnett
Disabuse – definition: to be free from mistakes or false beliefs.
We are all familiar with the editing stage of the writing journey. In some ways it is harder than creating the story in the first place. Reading our work out loud is a good way of not only finding errors but also discovering if our voice is strong.
Listening to how the sentences and dialogue sound is a great way of identifying mistakes but also the tone of our work.
See these links:
http://onewildword.com/2013/05/15/tell-your-story-to-find-your-way-into-writing-it/
http://lisathewordnerd.wordpress.com/2013/04/06/reading-my-manuscript-aloud/#comment-480
I use my writing group as a sounding board when I read my work out loud. If you are not already part of a group I strongly suggest you find one and join. Ensure that you are not only comfortable within the group and its members, but also that the format and the group’s mandate is favorable. My group, The Writers Foundation of Strathcona County ensures everyone is treated with respect and critique is favorable and kind in its presentation.
Obviously some people are uncomfortable sharing within a group setting so ask people you trust to hear your words. Having a candid response will be helpful.
How do you get feedback and find errors?
Posted in Writing, writing journey | Tagged art, arts, author, candid response, editing, false beliefs, feedback, mandate, manuscript, publishing, Sounding board, Strathcona County, wordpress, writers foundation, writers foundation of strathcona county, writing, writing group | 4 Comments »
May 14, 2013 by mandyevebarnett
Pittance – definition: a small portion; allowance, especially of money
The publishing industry is in the midst of radical changes as they compete with the increase in self publishing . I could site story after story of authors managing their own novels and being extremely successful. Some have been approached by the traditional houses; others not, but all made the decision to send their work out into the world.
A major factor in an author’s choice of a publishing route comes down to money – that necessary evil. Once you begin researching the actual costs involved and what may be your return for your book, the choice becomes clear. On average agent get 15%, book distribution 35% and book stores approximately 40% – this leaves the author with about 10% give or take. (**these are approximate figures**) Now as a famous author with global sales this figure may be alright, although I’m sure many of them have contractual clauses that differ. For the rest of us with a book or two these figures bring into sharp focus what we really want for our story and ourselves.
If you go into publishing with an idealistic view of millions of sales and making your fortune then sadly you will be disappointed – on the whole. ( Yes, I know there have been a few exceptions!) However, if your wish is to share your words, even with a few people, then you will accomplish your dream. I’m not saying being rich and famous isn’t something we would all love, but having practical expectations will give you the opportunity to relish the ‘success’ of your book even if it is a ‘close to home’ one.
For me knowing my stories will live beyond my life in libraries and hopefully handed down from generation to generation is reward enough.
What are your thoughts?
Posted in publishing, Writing, writing journey | Tagged approximate figures, arts, author, book distribution, business, contractual clauses, famous author, global sales, literature, money, novels, pittance, publishing, Publishing and Printing, publishing costs, reward, Self-publishing, traditional houses, writer | 5 Comments »
May 13, 2013 by mandyevebarnett
Cloister – definition: 1) monastery or convent; 2) a covered, usually arched passage along or around a court
Castles, mansions, and grand estates all made up a wonderful hobby for my friend, Deb and I when we lived in England. The historic houses and ancient sites we visited are far too many to name or list here. Suffice to say we travelled around a great deal of England to gazed in awe and learn about our history.
Some places are known globally, such as Stonehenge and Buckingham Palace but there are hundreds of other magnificent places that would inspire anyone. Painted ceilings, tapestries, carved furniture and wooden paneling not to mention thousands of paintings of Lords and Ladies from days gone by.
Cambridge and Oxford have cloistered courtyards as do many other buildings of the time period when such buildings were made by skilled stone masons. With close inspection you will see how each section has been crafted to lock with the next. Workmanship like this is sadly in short supply in today’s modern age but their are some who are trying to keep the craft alive.
It is possible that I can imagine where my travelling troubadour, Guillem Ruet resides so easily due to my years of visiting such glorious places.
Posted in Writing, Writing Inspiration | Tagged Archaeology, architecture, arts, Buckingham Palace, Cambridge, cloister, craft, England, English Heritage, Illustration, Oxford, skill, Social Sciences, stone maason, Stonehenge, writing inspiration | Leave a Comment »
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Apologies to everyone for missing the snippets recently. My back problems are making sitting, standing or even lying down difficult! I’m on the mend so hopefully back to normal soon.
