Blog
Words for Women: Success
I’ve been thinking about the topic of success this week with the release of my debut novel, Five Days in Skye. It’s been a wild ride, too. The book came out of the gate far stronger than I expected, and as a result, opportunities have started falling in my lap.
And I just sit back and think, “Wow. I certainly didn’t have anything to do with this.”
The funny thing is, I never intended to publish this book. Or if I did, I figured I’d self-publish it under a pen name for the general market. I was frustrated with revisions on another project, and I needed something fun clear my head. Skye was supposed to be the literary version of cotton candy: fun, sweet, and not very substantial. I got to about 60,000 words and stalled. Things weren’t coming together. It had no heart. It had no soul.
Then in church one weekend while we were studying through Ezra, our pastor spoke on obedience to God’s calling. The exact verse eludes me, but God told me very clearly, “This is not what I called you to do.” I walked out of the sanctuary with absolute understanding that He’d called me to write inspirational fiction and the assurance that if I was obedient, He’d do the rest.
I rewrote it for the Christian market, pitched it at ACFW, and less than a year after I’d started writing it, was offered a contract by David C Cook. I was so grateful for the confirmation, the quick turnover. The last line of my acknowledgements page sums up my feelings on the subject: “Any good I accomplish is solely because of Your grace and mercy.”
But somehow, in the ensuing chaos of editing and marketing, I started to get stressed. What if no one liked it? What if no one bought it? What if the reviews were horrible? Worse yet, what if no one got my point of view and was horrified that I would write something like this and call it Christian fiction?
Once more God had to nudge me to get my attention. The night before my release, it was like He was saying, “Relax, okay? I’ve got this.” Don’t laugh. That’s exactly what popped into my head. Apparently God speaks to me in slang sometimes.
The thing is, it’s too easy to take the responsibility and the credit in anything we do. When we make decisions on our own, we are responsible for our mistakes and our own success. But when we are obedient to God’s calling, His will, and His direction, suddenly the pressure is off. It’s now His responsibility, and He is far more capable of seeing to an endeavor’s success than we are.
How freeing is that little revelation? God pushed me in the direction I needed to go with this book. He’s brought me the opportunities. And now I can sit back, be diligent about meeting my responsibilities, and give the rest to Him.
He’s got this one.
Tags: diligence, faith, responsibility, success, writing
And the winner is….
It’s release day, and that means we have a winner!
Congratulations to the winner of the jam-packed Scotland-themed gift basket:
Tracey L.
Didn’t win? That’s okay. We had so much enthusiasm and so many entries that I will be drawing some second chance winners to receiving paperback and e-book editions of Five Days in Skye… so keep checking back through Friday to see if you’re a winner!
Tracey, I will be in touch via e-mail to arrange delivery of your prize! Congratulations again!
Marketing Monday: Publicity Prep 101
Here’s a little secret about book publicity: it’s madness.
Until you actually experience a campaign, it’s just an abstract idea. Sure, you know you’ll be doing some stuff on the web, and posting some things on Facebook, and doing some web interviews. Until you get into the middle of it, though, it’s all an abstract concept.
I wish I had’ve understood how busy I would be around the launch of my debut novel! I’m fortunate to be working with a fantastic publicist– Jeane Wynn of Wynn-Wynn Media. But the thing about good publicists is that they bring you opportunities. All the time. And in the middle of all of it, there are still the normal writing goals, deadlines, and life.
So, for those of you who are coming up on your first book launch, here’s my list of “advance prep” tasks. Some of these I did prepare ahead of time. On others, I’m still scrambling to catch up.
Bios
You’ve probably already written a bio for the back of your book, but each outlet has different requirements. To be safe, prepare three or four different versions of your biography ahead of time. I use a 50-word, 100-word, and 200-word version, all of which can be tweaked for lengths in between.
Professional Photos
You know that you need headshots, but did you know that it’s helpful to have several? I have two formal poses that I use for different needs (one for guest blogs and one for more permanent applications like Goodreads, Amazon, and my website). But I have also gotten requests for more casual poses, or multiple photos for a post. Fortunately, my shoot yielded a lot of usable photos that I can use when a blogger or reviewer wants something a little different than my standard headshot. Alternatively, you can have some good candids selected ahead of time for the “behind the scenes” sort of posts.
Also, it’s a good idea to prepare two resolutions (or have your photographer do so). You’ll need one high resolution for print (300 dpi) and a lower resolution for web (72 or 96 dpi). Most of the time, unless high-resolution is specified, the low resolution photo will be the one used for web publicity.
Online Press Kit
This is something that I put together on my website ahead of time for bloggers and reviewers who want to add something besides a book blurb to their site, but don’t request an interview in advance. Anyone can use these resources, I just ask for a notice of where and when it will appear. My press kit includes:
- A number of different photos at 96dpi
- My three different bios (with word count listed)
- Information about my newest release, including short blurbs, back cover copy, and excerpts from the book
- Cover image for the newest release and buying links
- Q&A section, which bloggers can use to create their own “interview”
Book Blurbs
Besides your back cover copy, it’s also a good idea to have a couple of blurbs about your book worked up. In addition to my 150-word blurb, I also have a short, two sentence sales handle. This is the one I use for mentions in “new release” announcements where space is at a premium and back cover copy simply won’t fit.
It’s also a good idea to have a couple informal blurbs about your book worked up for interview questions. This would be the “what the story is about” sort of explanation—how you would explain the plot to a close friend. It should hit all the character highlights while avoiding spoilers and have a less formal feel than your back cover copy.
Guest Blog Posts
I’ve written more guest blog posts than anything so far. Sites always need content, and it’s a great way to show your personality, talk about topics relevant to your book, and get some name recognition. I’ve been given some great last minute opportunities on sites with heavy traffic, but last minute comes with a catch: deadlines are usually measured in hours or days instead of weeks.
Take a bit of stress out of the process by working up some guest blog posts ahead of time. The average length seems to be between 500-800 words, and I’ve been surprised by how much freedom in topics I’ve had. Most of the time, the guidelines are “write something about writing” or “tie in a topic to your book.”
Some ideas for blog posts that can be written ahead of time.
For an audience of writers
- How you got your agent
- How you got your publisher
- Things that surprised you about the publishing process
- Research methods
- What you’ve learned on your publishing journey
- “What I wish I had’ve known” topics (like this blog post)
For an audience of readers
- Insight into what it’s like to be a writer: your life and routine
- Interesting facts you learned while researching
- Your inspiration for the characters or setting
- Character interviews (complete with photos of your casting choices)
- Character summaries (again, have photos ready)
Your Own Blog
If you’re already blogging, some days you may face the choice between writing a guest blog for a big site or publishing on your normal blog schedule. In these situations, my own blog normally gets sacrificed. I wish I would have written several posts in advance and had them ready to go for those times when I just couldn’t get the next day’s blog finished in time.
Also considering setting up guest bloggers in advance for the time around your release date. It takes some of the pressure off you, brings additional traffic to your site, and gives you the opportunity to add a new perspective to your blog, which readers enjoy. You can build their post topics around your current schedule (if you have certain topics on certain days, like I do) or you can take a period of time where you ask guest bloggers to discuss a topic that relates specifically to the book being released.
Final Thoughts
Even considering the workload, book publicity is lots of fun! When you’re passionate about your story, your setting, and your research, the chance to connect with readers is a joy. Spend some time assembling the essentials and you’ll be that much more prepared to represent yourself and your book with enthusiasm to the marketplace.
Tags: author bio, guest blogs, headshots, Jeane Wynn, photos, publicity, Wynn-Wynn Media
Blog Flashback: Staying the Course
This post originally appeared on my site on 1/25/13. With contest results coming out this month, it felt like a good time to revisit the post I wrote after my last contest loss. It’s interesting to note that the novel I’m talking about below is releasing next week! Clearly, as writers, we need to take critiques as useful input, but they’re not always the final arbiters of talent or marketability.
I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
–Philippians 3:14
I’ll admit it: I’m competitive. I like to win.
So when I woke up this morning to an email from a contest coordinator that essentially said, “Thank you for playing, but you didn’t make it into the finals,” I felt a twinge of disappointment. Then I opened my score sheets.
Two judges loved it. One judge said nice things about my writing but didn’t think my main character was likeable. And one judge hated it, my writing, the characters, and thought there was no place for it in the inspirational market. (I’m still not clear whether the tipping point was the fact my heroine was drinking a glass of wine in a pub or wearing bright red Jimmy Choo pumps.)
I could let those less than enthusiastic critiques shake my confidence for the novel. I could start second guessing whether my writing is good enough to be published, especially considering my contemporary style is much different than my fantasy voice, which has so far been well-received. I could begin wondering if maybe contemporary romance is even a genre I’m meant to write, at least for the inspirational market.
But that would be a diversion from what I believe I’ve been called to do. While my fantasy books are much more conventionally Christian, my contemporaries are aimed to a different audience. Women who can’t relate to heroines with unshakable faith. Those who prefer Paris, France to Paris, Texas. Those who struggle to live a spirit-filled life in work environments, heck, in a world where being a Christian is seen as intellectual suicide, a sign of an untrustworthy mind, or just plain strange.
Yes, my characters are moral but not very Christian at the opening of the book. Just as Paul was a persecutor of Christians before his conversion. God’s work through him is all the more amazing because of where he started. I’ve been called to show what God can do through the least spiritual– maybe just like you and me– rather than the most. And if I let criticism divert me from my path, make me water down my message to please a subsection of readers that probably wouldn’t like the story no matter what I did, I’m not being faithful to that call.
So, I will take the helpful advice those judges gave me and use it to make my writing better. I’m grateful for the time they took to score my entry honestly, and for the sneak peek of the kind of response that I’ll get if and when it’s published. As for the rest, I will write it off as opinion and use it as a reminder that I write the stories I’ve been given for a reason, not for the acclaim of man, but for the glory of God.
I will stay the course.
Though I’ll admit, I may have pulled out my favorite red patent leather stiletto pumps today. Because if you’re going to face criticism, you might as well do it while wearing great shoes.
Tags: contests, criticism, critiques, fiction, flashback, writers, writing, writing life
