Posted in Writing, tagged author, books, business, Ink, literature. precipice, novels, writer, writing, writing habits, writing space on May 17, 2013 | 2 Comments »
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 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 on May 14, 2013 | 5 Comments »
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 authors, Writing, Writing Inspiration, tagged articles, arts, author, blog, blogging, business, freelance, freelance portfolio, hackneyed definition, learning, literature, magazines, Mailing Lists, marketing, new skill, online, portfolio, target audience, technology, web copy, web site, web sites, writer, writing, writing skill on May 3, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Hackneyed – definition: made commonplace or trite : stale : banal
The first thing that your web copy should not be is hackneyed! Whomever your target audience is, you need to interest them immediately (or soon after!) Taking time to get to know the client and understand how they want to be perceived will make your job easier. As you can see from this excellent advice:
http://nhwn.wordpress.com/2013/04/17/5-things-to-consider-when-writing-webcopy/
This next link has some witty but seasoned advice:
http://www.vappingo.com/word-blog/29-expert-tips-on-writing-website-copy-that-gets-real-results/
I am researching (gradually) the intricacies of web copy and other writing skills as my freelance portfolio grows. Being open to new ideas and not being afraid to ask questions helps a great deal.
As writers we are always striving to be better and looking to experts and their work is a good place to start.
What is your experience of ‘learning’ a new skill?
Posted in publishing, Writing Inspiration, writing journey, tagged arts, author, book, books, business, Canada, Code of Practice, links, literature, novellsa, novels, publishing, Publishing and Printing, publishing houses, research, Self-publishing, United States, Vanity press, writer, Writers Beware, Writers Resources on March 30, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Exorbitant – definition: going beyond the limits of what is fair; reasonable, or expected
When we are ready to share our words – with the world – there are quite a number of stumbling blocks to overcome. Do we find an agent, a vanity press, a traditional publishing house or go the self publish route? There are pages and pages of ‘publishing’ sites on the internet, all offering fantastic deals. So how do we ensure we will be treated fairly?
Firstly, try a site called Writers Beware, which is a useful tool in finding a number of companies who have been ‘flagged’ as unfair or downright criminal. It is not an exhaustive list covering all genres but it is a good place to start. http://www.sfwa.org/for-authors/writer-beware/
Another is http://www.canauthors.org/links/publishers.html for those of you in Canada.
It is best to thoroughly research the publishing organizations you want to approach before sending a query or a sample of your work. You are probably as aware as I am, of numerous horror stories (unfortunately) of authors paying out vast sums of money with nothing to show for it at the end. Utilize your writing group and other authors you are in contact with to investigate ‘publishing’ options.
Initially look at the publishing credits on books in your own genre – if the same name keeps coming up it should bode well as a reputable company. If you are brave you can approach the authors and ask what their experience is/was with that particular company. If not see if there are reviews or comments to be found regarding that particular company. Obviously, comments on the actual company site could be fabricated so treat them with a grain of salt, unless there are a bonafide author names/links with them. The more research you do the better.
I did find a few Codes of Practice – http://www.akmedea.com/pubsassn.html – which was updated in 1997 but only for the UK, I believe. And http://www.americanpressassociation.com/code.php for those of you in America.
It is very easy to just jump in with the first companies you find highlighting your genre - because, as we all know, the idea of being a published author is all consuming. Try not to get carried away with the excitement. It will pay dividends literally and figuratively if you spend time safeguarding your work and yourself from future disappointment and financial lost.
Posted in publishing, Writing, tagged advertising, business, Dave Thomas, facebook, Google+, insightful article, internet, marketing, Reputation, Search engine optimization, shapes and sizes, social media., technology, twitter, writing journey on March 24, 2013 | 3 Comments »
Interdict – definition: 1) prohibit by law or decree; 2) to destroy, cut off, or damage
Today I am sharing an interesting and insightful article with you by Dave Thomas.
Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes.
With that being said, what kind of business owner are you? Do you have trouble sleeping at night when it comes to meeting the needs of your customers, worrying about the people you hire, or what your rivals may be up to?
Those are all legitimate concerns, but what about your reputation? Specifically, what about your online reputation as both a person and an entrepreneur?
Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs wait until something negative happens that they then turn their attention to their online reputation. By that point and time, the damage to their business may very well already be done.
So, what are some things as an entrepreneur that you need to do to better protect what is said about you online?
Among the items to zero in on:
First and foremost, make sure you don’t make any major gaffes when it comes to social media. While there are some entrepreneurs who have failed to engage in and reap the rewards of social media, others have dove into it. While participating is great, there is always the chance that a mistake or two will be made, mistakes that can damage your online reputation.
For example, let’s say you get into a beef with an angry customer who has taken to Facebook, Twitter or another social venue. Next thing you know, they have called you and your business out. In order to provide your side of the story, you respond, with the dialogue going back-and-forth, sometimes in a negative tone.
The unfortunate part for you is that current and potential customers see you in a less positive light, meaning their business could very well go elsewhere. If you feel you can’t answer the customer in an efficient and professional manner, by all means do not engage publically with them. Take the conversation to private channels, allowing you and the customer to hash out a solution. You also want to make sure that any comments you or your team make on social media come across as professional. While it is okay to have a little fun with SM, posting inappropriate office party photos or comments should never even be considered;
With all you have to do as an entrepreneur, you probably do not have time to do periodic online checks of your name and your business. The problem here is that there are companies out there that post information you may choose not to go public, including personal addresses, income levels, divorce information, court documents and more. By doing a Google search of both your name and your company’s name, you can stay abreast of what others are seeing when they do likewise;
Finally, there are many different ways you and your company can come out looking like stars on the Internet. Make sure you promote things like blog posts that make you out to be an authority in your field, customer testimonials, press releases about the interesting things your business is doing, videos and podcasts that assist customers and much more.
In the event there is some negative information floating around online that puts you and/or your business in a bad light, projecting all the good things you are doing will lower the bad stuff on the search engines.
From social media to your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts and more, make sure the time you and your employees spend on the Internet is productive.
Remember, your online reputation is at stake.
Here is the link:
Posted in Writing, Writing Inspiration, tagged a writers balance, art, arts, author, blogging, business, idealistic, JK Rowling, literature, perception, pragmatic, publishing, self publish, Stephen King, writer, Writer Resources, writing, writing inspiration on March 23, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Pragmatic – definition: concerned with practical rather than intellectual, abstract or artistic matters.
When we write we are most certainly not pragmatic but artistic and that is our main focus at the time. Creating is the fun part of our art but if we are to follow our dream of being published we have to ‘go to the other side’…practical issues range from editing to beta readers to submissions to that all important publishing date followed by the inevitable promotional efforts we must pursue.
Getting a book published is no mean feat – there are many ‘layers’ to it and we have to invest time and effort in a good deal of research and the learning of new skills to accomplish it. You are bound to have had the same conversations I have with people, who are totally oblivious to the mechanics of having a book on a bookstore shelf or online site. It is not as easy as walking into the store and asking them to put it on display or ‘dump’ a manuscript onto a website. Once you begin explaining you either get the ‘Oh my gosh I had no idea’ or an uninterested eye roll. Whichever response you get, they start to understand it is not as easy as it seems and that most writers/authors are ‘unknown’ to the public at large. Not everyone is a Stephen King or J.K. Rowling! (although we all secretly wish we were).
Perception is the key here. I couldn’t resist putting this graph here. It reminded me of a’ sales in the office’ course I took many moons ago. The exact same graph was used then and clearly shows that we have to be extremely precise in how we explain our vision. We endeavor to produce a blurb that will explain our story but also entice our readers. Having spent months with our characters it is easy to forget that others do not yet have that connection and can write descriptions that fall short. There is something to say for leaving a manuscript/story alone for some time, having disconnected ourselves for a month or so will hopefully allow us to ‘see’ our creation from another perspective. That distance makes all the difference in most cases. It is also true when we describe our imaginary worlds, our ‘view’ may not be that of our reader, the trick is to get it as close as we can by using our words carefully.
Do you have a tip for writing a great blurb?
Posted in Writing, Writing Inspiration, tagged arts, Bonanza, business, entertainment, King Kong, Lunch, Television, Television program, Westerns on February 22, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
Bonanza – definition: 1) a large, rich mineral deposit 2) something that brings a rich return
Cropped screenshot of Michael Landon from the television seres Bonanza. Episode: “Bitter Water” (1960). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
If you are like me (showing my age here I know- it was the re-runs honestly!) you will immediately think of the TV show. It was a good old cowboy show in an era before political correctness. In hindsight it’s basis was very stereotypical – cowboys = good and Indians = bad or subservient, which was probably worse. Anyway I digress. The story revolved around a family, their cattle ranch and the trials and tribulations they encountered. The characters were conventional and their reactions predicable but nevertheless it was enjoyable for its time. I’m sure it would be viewed as outdated and bland to the youth of today.
Modern movies are fast paced, action packed and include, in the most part gruesome realism. Looking back at movies like the original King Kong, the special effects of that era are laughable. Technology has advanced beyond all expectations in the last 80 years or more, but somewhere along the line we lost our innocence, our sense of wonderment. Of course rubber model monsters walking through a scale model city do look rather idiotic now but they were cutting edge at one point. Violence was portrayed but for the life of me I can’t remember it being so, well violent. Do you understand what I mean? It seems to be a prerequisite for all movies nowadays to contain a certain amount of violence in one form or another. Is it all really necessary?
As for the special effects used today we seem to forget that what we are watching isn’t ‘real’ but images on a blue screen. They even have virtual actors! We’re not amazed at how a real actor can ‘act’ with a cartoon character. Just think on that for a minute, the actors can’t see anything in front or around them, all they have is a big blue screen. How difficult must that be? Take Avatar for instance large blue beings and humans together on the big screen but never on the movie plot.
With this ability to ‘make’ creatures, landscapes and other objects seemingly interact with human actors they are delving into the writing realm. Our words create worlds and characters, which are conjured up in our reader’s imagination. No two readers will ‘picture’ our characters and their environment exactly the same. So in essence we write superior ‘movies’. The same story can be seen ‘visually’ in a multitude of ways instead of a single persons interpretation. We deliver our own bonanza.
Posted in Writing, Writing Inspiration, tagged arts, business, Canada, Organizations, publishing, Publishing and Printing, Saskatoon, Writers Resources on September 20, 2012 | 10 Comments »
I’m almost jumping up and down with excitement as I count down the hours until I head off with my dear friend, Linda, to Saskatoon. We will surely enjoy the scenery as we drive and can look forward to staying in a nice hotel for the weekend. On Saturday 22nd September, we are attending a seminar entitled –Connect, Celebrate, & Collaborate hosted by P.W.A.C. (Professional Writers Association of Canada). Armed with pen and notebook, I’m sure to be scribbling furiously.
On the Sunday we will be part of the Word on the Street event. Linda’s publishing company, Dream Write Publishing, will be launching a Saskatoon author’s first novel as well as selling numerous other books in her catalogue. It will be a day full of literature and literary interests and people, something for all the family. If you go to the web site you can get all the information:
http://www.thewordonthestreet.ca/wots/saskatoon
We have decided, instead of rushing back on the Sunday night, we will do some sightseeing and travel back home at a leisurely pace. How civilized a weekend you will agree.
So what are your plans for this weekend – do you have a Word on the Street event near you?
Posted in Writing, tagged blog, business, Google+, social media., wordpress on September 7, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Thank you to Suzi Welker for having me as a guest on her blog – bunnysreview.com
