The Birth

You've waited almost a year.  Waited for the delivery, expecting it any day now.  Finally it's time.  You rush out the door, expectant, tired of waiting, and hoping the delivery is actually today.  Then it happens.  You are handed the precious bundle and you sigh, before carefully folding back the covering to reveal your precious little bundle.  Pride fills your heart, and you can't wait to show it to those closest to you.  That's right!!!!  It's here, the galley of my newest book.

Do we ever grow tired of getting those new bundles of joy?  I doubt it.  As authors we put blood, sweat, and tears into each novel. We shape and mold our stories, cry with the characters and feel each pain they suffer.  We sigh with relief when the victory is won, then cry all over again with each word we cut, each scene we lose, and each rewrite, or edit cuts to the bone.  But in the end it is all worth it.

Pride in a job well done is worth the year or more of hard work.  A year of growing that precious bundle, until at last you're holding it in your hands.  Your baby, your little piece of you put out there for the entire world to see.  If you think the pains are over at this point, you're wrong.

Now your precious baby is in other people's hands.  Not everyone thinks your baby is as wonderful as you do.  Some even don't like it, think you should have never tried.  Some oohhh, and aaaahhh over your bundle.  Some even think it is as wonderful as you do.

Now you're a full fledged author.  A book under your belt and the proof in your hands.

I can't tell you how exciting it feels.  You just have to try it yourself and see the pride and joy that comes along with the printed copy in your hands. 

When you look at it, you see all the little imperfections.  The "Oh, I could have described that better."  The "I wish I'd have changed that."  But all in all there is something deep inside that tells you, "You've done the best you could at the time you wrote this book."  I think every author grows as a writer with each book, and you look back on those first ones with a blush, wondering why people like it so when it was so bad.  But still the pride in it never goes away.  It is a piece of you.  A bit of your soul put out there to be judged.

So just like your baby, be proud of what you've accomplished.  Rush out and show your new bundle to all of your friends, your neighbors, and even the girl at the bank.  Be proud of yourself.  You've actually delivered when so many miscarry. 

Be proud.  Show the world what you're made of.  Be confident in what you've produced.  Love the experience and be confident in yourself.

Getting that delivery is worth all the pains you went through to get it here.  Then pat yourself on the back and sleep with it for a few days.

That's right.  Enjoy your success.  I know I am.  I now hold in my hand the long awaited second book, and it feels grand.

The Self Pub Formatting Nightmare

You said it.  Formatting is a dirty word, is, was and probably always will be.  I stole my book back from my latest publisher due to irreconcilable differences.  I wanted to sell it, printed version, and obviously they did not.  I digress.  Anyway I've worked really hard to get a new cover, format the thing and get it back out there.

A joke!!!!  It's easy they say, just plug your book into our already formatted template.  "Great," says I.
I feverishly work to make sure everything is as I want it in this wonderful template, (which by the way only has 60 pages) and viola! I'm ready to go.  Right?  WRONG.

I realize that the rest of the 300 pages of the manuscript have no page numbers, no headers and I have no idea how to fix it.  I go back and read everything I can, and eventually figure out how to get the page numbers on, minus the Title page, Acknowledgements, etc.  Again, VIOLA!!!!

Not so fast.  I upload my hard worked manuscript, and to my dismay all the chapter headings are off, on the end of the page before.  In the middle of a page somewhere, or run into the chapter preceding it.  I groan.
In the end, I uploaded it at least ten time before calling support.

Now isn't technical support supposed to fix all your problems?  Silly me, that's what I thought.  I talked to one guy, who couldn't help me.  Said he had no idea how to fix the problem and I would have to talk to a supervisor, (all of whom had left for the day)  so please call back tomorrow.

I spent a sleepless night wondering what exactly I had done wrong.  Aren't you supposed to be able to plug something into a template and then not worry about it?  That's what I thought.  At least it worked building a website.  I digress again.

Next day I call tech support again, get the famed supervisor and ask my questions.  She says they have templates to help format it right.  I tell her it is in a template.  She asks what format I saved it in.  I tell her RTF.  (Sigh)  She has no idea what that is!!!!  You've got to be kidding right?  She asks what program I'm using and I say WORD.  She responds that there are just too many programs for them to know all about all of them.  (Isn't WORD one of the most widely used programs for writers?  Am I wrong?)  I sigh again.  Wondering if this is every going to be a book out there, published by me for my fans.(Yes, I do have them.  And all five of them have been waiting for Phantom Wolves for almost a year now)

The supervisor advises me to download the template again and start all over.  GRRRRRR!!!!.  However my dogged determination wins out and I do as she asks.

Now for those of you who are about to embark on this process, let me save you some time and aggravation.  First, download the blank template, not the one with words so you can see what it looks like.  Before transferring anything, embed your text.  In word, go to file, his the options, hit save, then check the embed font box, and uncheck the two boxes below it.  Now you're ready to start.  Copy your entire book and past it into the template.  Now your margins and gutters should be right.  Make sure your headers and footer(page numbers) appear on each page.  I'm telling you right now that they won't.  Go to the last page that contains the header and or footer, and double click on it.  It will open up the header box in word.  Then you need to link the header and footer to the previous section.  Then you should be good.  Now go back and take off the header on the title page, because you can bet it is there now.  Also if you're including a bio picture, make sure that the DPI is 300 before inserting it in your book. 

No Sweat, you say.  Just keep thinking that.  Your not done yet.  Now go back in and embed your font again, because if you don't you'll be sorry.  Now save it in a PDF format and try uploading it.  Hopefully it works this time.  If not start all over, don't think you can fix the one you've already spent so much time on, it never works.

Okay, so there you have the two-hundred fifty steps to formatting.  My friend, Leslie, paid someone fifty bucks to save herself the headache, smart and rolling in the dough girl.  For those of us without that luxury, here's a toast to our living nightmare.  Any questions?

Contest Overload

After running two contests in a row, I'm finally back on track with writing, bloggging (sort of) and doing all the other stuff that needs to be done.

First of all I ran the Absolutely Write First Page Contest.  Fun to read all the entries and then argue with myself about some of the scores and the judges.  So not only to the entrants sometimes feel they got shorted, so does the contest coordinator.  Laying all that aside, it was easy to see what people did right and what others did wrong.  A great way of seeing what works on a first page.

Second, I coordinated the YA Category of the UtahRWA HOW contest.  Again, getting to read all the entries was enlightening.  I didn't agree with all the judges, but could again see why the winners took the high scores.  This one wasn't as easy.  Finding judges to help out was a wild ride, but I finally got the finalists off the the final judge, only a day or two late.

If you're wondering why I put myself through running contests, along with entering them.  Well, I'll tell you.  You learn alot by seeing how the contests run, how the judges evaluate things, and more than that why the winners are the winners.  Where else could you get all this information without paying for it.  It makes you a better writer to see how the winners of other contests do what they do.  It's also great to judge, because often times you can compare how you rated things by seeing those same entries in other contests.  I love it when I pick the best on of the entries sent me to judge, and it actually end up winning the category.

I learn so much by helping with contest.  I advise you do the same.  And then take the time to read the entries as they come in, evaluate them yourself, and then see what the judges say and how things turn out.  Lots of fun without putting anything on the line.

Now back to work and the real process of writing.  Hope to see you all in a contest in the future, either coordinating, judging or at least entering.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Have a great writing day.

The Five R's to make Creation Easy

There are so many wonderful tips out there.  This one is again from Trent's Smart Writer Newsletter.  He really does some great stuff.  Coming up with blogging ideas is what stumps me, but writing novels never has me running out of ideas.   But doing these five R's might help some of you readers out there, so here are some great ideas.

Content Creation Made Easy Are you struggling with creating consistent, quality content? If you are not a professional copywriter, coming up with new content regularly can be a difficult task. Many people get writer's block or their brains freeze up while staring at a blank screen. However, to be a successful Internet marketer, you must create fresh and interesting content regularly. Otherwise, your traffic will dry up and hard-earned subscribers will lose interest. How do you overcome this challenge? Content creation doesn't have to be hard. Just follow my 5 Rs of content creation and things will start to flow a lot more smoothly. 1. RESEARCH Even before I open my trusty word processor, I head over to Google's Keyword Tool. I use it to research key words/phrases that people are using to search for answers to their particular problem. I start with something related to a subject that I'm interested in writing about and get ideas from there. For example, "content creation." That led me to other popular search terms like blog content creation, content creation help, online content creation etc. Without first researching your topics, you'll find yourself running out of ideas to write about and/or guessing what your readers would be interested in learning. You'd be surprised how many different suggestions and variations you can get from your initial thought after doing even the smallest bit of research. Google is not the only source for content ideas. Visit popular forums and read what questions people are posting there, things that are related to your topic. You can also try Yahoo! Answers. Bottom line - better content comes from better research. 2. REARRANGE Creating an outline first is how I always start my content creation. It helps me to get my thoughts organized and to rearrange ideas until I feel good about the flow of my content. Then I expand the bullet points into complete paragraphs. An outline also creates a roadmap as I progress from chapter to chapter until I finish my report or e-Book. 3. REVEAL Adding some personal experiences helps to humanize your content. No one likes to read text that sounds like a sermon. Share stories or provide examples like I have done above to make it more interesting and help your readers connect with their own situation. Revealing a bit of your personal side or personality is very important, especially if you are writing about a technical topic. A picture is worth a thousand words and can quickly simplify a complex concept that otherwise would take you many words to explain. Studies have shown that people retain information quicker and longer when you engage their visual senses. 4. READ If you are going to edit your own content, then read your text aloud. I print my copy and then read it back to myself. This forces me to read every word rather than allowing my mind to autosuggest words that are not there. Don't just rely on the automatic spelling and grammar checker. For example, no software in the world can flag the error between their and there. Here are some more common mistakes; lose and loose, it's for its and further vs. farther. I use a professional copyediting service to proof read my final manuscript before I publish it into an e-Book. Believe me, it is well worth the expense. If you can't afford the cost, have a friend who has never seen your copy read it and allow them to critique your content freely. You don't have to accept all their suggestions but at least you'll have the benefit of another pair of eyes having reviewed your content. 5. REVISE Our brains have two parts - the left side is analytical and the right side is visual and tends to see the whole picture. Use both sides of your brain when writing content - but one side at a time. Let the right half of your brain start writing as the creative juices flow. Don't interrupt it by stopping to correct errors (other than obvious typos). Once you have your first draft completed, allow the left side of your brain to take over and start being critical and analytical as you go over your copy. Rearrange words, paragraphs and maybe entire chapters until you feel comfortable how each paragraph and chapter flows into the next respectively. This is where you need to wear your editor's hat rather than be the creative writer. Don't be afraid to tear apart your initial outline if you think it will improve the product. Just be careful that perfectionism doesn't stop you from launching your masterpiece altogether. I realize the above 5 Rs may seem a bit daunting at first, especially to the inexperienced writers out there. But with some practice, all this will become second-nature and you'll be creating content like a professional copywriter in no time at all. By Achinta "Archie" Mitra.

Guest Post by Benjamin Sobieck

Flawed P.I.s, Gotta Love 'em: A Guest Post by Crime Author Benjamin Sobieck

I've been lucky with my invented PI characters.

First there's Jack "Keeper" Marconi, former prison warden turned private dick who specializes in chasing down escaped convicts, especially the ones who like to murder cops in cold blood, like in THE INNOCENT, or the bad guys who murdered his wife in GODCHILD.

Then there's MOONLIGHT FALLS and the forthcoming MOONLIGHT RISES from StoneGate Ink. Richard "Dick" Moonlight is a former cop and suicide survivor who has a little piece of bullet lodged inside his brain, right smack up against the cerebral cortex causing him at best the occasional blackout or memory loss (especially during times of stress...in other words, all the time), but at worst, the very serious possibility of coma and/or death should the bullet shift. He also always seems to be making the wrong decisions, more often than not, when it comes to women. In a word, he's an easy lay.

What's my point?
When it comes to the PI thriller market, you can't dish up the same old/same old anymore. You've got to give the reading audience a character who will stick out from the crowd and at the same time be believable in all his or her, unbelievableness...if that makes even an ounce of sense.

Up and coming crime fiction star and CLEANSING EDEN author, Benjamin Sobieck, follows the line of the fallible PI pretty closely in the form of Maynard Solomon in a short he did with famous blogger and blog talk radio host Giovanni Gelati for Gelati's ever growing Trestle Press. "Who Whacked the Blogger" is fun, violent, warped, and just plain funny. It's also crafted by two dudes who love their work and make it show. Check out the story anywhere where E-Books are sold.

Mr. Ben...It's time to give us the low-down on Maynard...

11 reasons to enjoy Maynard Soloman

Now before you roll your eyes and say, "Another serialized PI? Puh-leez," I want to tell you why Maynard Soloman is different. I, too, had read a million incarnations of Sam Spade. Maynard Soloman might've worn a fedora, but that's where the similarities end.

Here are 11 reasons Maynard Soloman is worth a look.

1) He was forced into retirement from his career as an investigator for the Obscenities Division of a local police force. He got stiffed on some medical bills, so he has to keep working. Which is why he...

2) Bought a Winnebago. Not only can he see the country (a staple of any retiree's dreams), he uses it as a...

3) Mobile office. He bought a police scanner and spray painted the words "Maynard Soloman Investigation Services" on the side. He's not too worried about the 'bago looking junky because...

4) The Winnebago takes a beating in every story. In "Who Whacked the Blogger?" he had to outrun a competitor when chasing an ambulance containing a potential client. In "Maynard Soloman Solves the War on Drugs," some punks break windows and spray paint graffiti on the side panels. That had Maynard...

5) Cursing in his own special way. A typical Maynard line would be, "Some punk-ass fruit bats spray painted the 'bago with a gal-damn penis." He's got a potty mouth rooted in a mix of early 20th Century cuss words and his own inventions. "Fruit bat" is someone who is both fruity and bat-shit insane. He also invented...

6) The 'nard Bag. As he can't afford an extra large sleeping bag, he invented the 'nard Bag. Simply pick out a pair of the largest sweatpants you can find. Cut the legs and sew them together so there is only one leg. Says Maynard, "It's pure mollycoddling." He enjoys stretching out, especially when...

7) He has health problems. It's an overarching theme across the stories. It's not clear yet what they are, but Maynard knows he can't outrun time. Speaking of time...

8) Maynard is clueless about technology. It's always baffled him. In "Who Whacked the Blogger?" his client runs a blog. Maynard spends most of the time trying to figure out what that means. He's also behind on...

9) Crime trends. In "Maynard Soloman Solves the War on Drugs," he is solicited by a teen to buy some cold medicine for him. Maynard becomes suspicious when he hears the medicine must contain pseudoephedrine. "Sounds like a fake drug to me. Are you trying to play a prank on me?" Maynard says. Of course, readers know pseudoephedrine is kept behind the counter because it's used to make meth. But the clueless Maynard Soloman thinks he...

10) Knows everything. He's absolutely convinced the world is much stupider than he. It's the big dumb world's fault he can't walk up to a drive-through and place an order. He can see the obvious answers when no one else can. That's why he can be so bold as to proclaim he's solved the War on Drugs in, "Maynard Soloman Solves the War on Drugs." But he's not so bold as to...

11) Use weapons of any kind. He was denied a concealed carry permit, probably related to the messy forced retirement situation. But he says the real reason is, "I cross too many state lines in the 'bago. Don't want one of my old police buddies to throw me in the slammer."

I hope you'll check out Maynard Soloman. I had a ton of fun writing him. More adventures are on their way. In the meantime, check out "Who Whacked the Blogger?" and "Maynard Soloman Solves the War on Drugs."

For more on Benjamin Sobieck: http://www.crimefictionbook.com/

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

Ghost Inside and Out

I'm gearing up to release Tawny's Ghost, last year's Utah RWA Golden Pen winner.  Along with that I'm looking for other people to share real live ghost stories with me.  I know the inspiration for my book came from living in a haunted house, (an old farm house, not a rundown mansion) where all of us had experiences with the ghosts.  It was unnerving for some of the family, but interesting to me and quite the rush once in awhile.

Ghosts aren't scary, they're just people like you and me, but sometimes the unexpectedness is what gets you.  My ghost had certain ways that he thought his house should be, and by golly don't you new people change that.  Also, I'm sure often times he was lost, or he'd lost something inside the downstairs closet, and his nightly riffling through it made sleeping a bit rough. 

Share your stories with me.  I'm eager to hear them and include some of them in my promos for the book.  Also, I'm selling necklaces like in the book.  The stones (crystals) have powers to help you contact the other side.  If you're interested contact me, some of them are pictured at joyspraycarbooks.com. 

Let's see how many people are out there that have their own hauntings to rave about.

Are You Blogging The Best That You Can?

My friend Katie and I were talking just last night about blogging and the challenges it presents.  My main challenge is time, TIME!  I know some other bloggers feel the same way I do.  It just seems like between the daily job, the church responsibilities and writing, there's not much time left.


So today I get this post for Trent Steele's Smart Writer's Newsletter.  If you haven't subscribed to that it gives you some good tips on how to make your writing work for you.  Anyway, I digress.   On there is a guest post by Julie McCormick that I absolutely found informative and interesting.  Not being a great blogger I've found that maybe putting helpful hints about blogging may help someone else.  So I posting Julie's post here.  I hope you find it as helpful as I did.

Become A Blogging Success Story: Part 1

Blogging isn't something that only the nerdy types or teens do anymore, and it most certainly goes beyond posting pictures of your children (or pets) and griping about your job. Blogging is, for some, a business or a source of extra spending money. It's also a source of money, power, and satisfaction. But as it goes in professional sports, there are millions playing in the neighborhood little leagues, but a very small minority will ever make it to the big leagues. So how do you improve your chances of taking your blog from beyond just a hobby into something that you add to your resume and turn into cash? 1. Be prepared to pour in your blood, sweat and tears Very rarely does a blog go from a readership consisting of your family, friends, co-workers, and admirers (or enemies) that have figured out how to stalk you online, to an overnight success. Sure, if you break a big story and CNN picks it up and gives you a shout-out, you might get an instant influx of visitors, but the chances of that happening are slim. So instead of banking on a miracle, be prepared to slave away at it for a bit. Know that you will at times doubt yourself and your ability to go on, that you will have to force yourself to blog when you really don't feel like it. Be prepared, perhaps, not to know what "free time" is anymore. This may not be true in all cases, but for someone like me that runs a news oriented blog, it's a 24/7 operation. A blog focusing on, say, technology might not have to be so vigilant in covering breaking news. 2. Before you start blogging, think about what you will be blogging about My interests are so varied that I couldn't pick just one topic to blog about, and I knew I'd probably get bored writing about the same thing day after day, week after week, year after year. That being said, if you want to establish yourself as an expert in a field or topic area, then a more focused blog will be most suitable. 3. Avoid free blog services Resist the temptation to start with a free blog on Blogger, WordPress or any of the other free, hosted blogging services. You will kick yourself later, trust me. If you're serious about taking your blog beyond a recreational activity, do yourself a favor and buy a domain and web hosting. You can start with something as simple and cheap as GoDaddy, and move as your site grows. I started out with shared hosting, and since then I can't tell you how many times I've been kicked off hosts due to my site's growth and resource usage. These days, we have our own server. 4. If you use a pre-made template, at least customize some parts of it A unique design will make your blog more memorable. If you do use a pre-made template that thousands of other people have also installed on their blog, which I have nothing against, try to customize it at least a little bit. At the very least, pay someone $50 to make you a nice logo. 5. Consider a collaborative effort You'll have to share the profits, but sometimes two (or three or four...) is better than one. It takes some pressure off of you as you're not the sole blogger, and if you need to step away for a few days, there's someone else to cover for you. Just choose your partner or partners wisely, and strongly consider getting your partnership arrangement in writing, just in case things sour one day. 6. Socialize and network with others Join Twitter and Facebook and start a conversation with your readers. Make sure to reply to comments on your blog. By talking with your readers, you'll keep them checking back in and you'll be at the forefront of their minds, making them more likely to become a repeat visitor. Repeat visitors are very important in establishing your blog. Fly-by traffic is still worthwhile, but building a loyal readership base is crucial. Making friends with other bloggers and website owners can also be beneficial as they can help drive traffic your way. But it's not as easy as it looks or sounds. Many have tried and failed. It can be done, and it doesn't take a huge advertising budget, a staff of writers, or luck. However, it does take some degree of talent (if you are a horrible writer, I'd advise against pouring your heart into making a career of blogging) and a whole lot of dedication and drive. Having a plan also helps, although if you don't have one you can still become successful; it just might take you longer as you figure things out along the way. I've been doing this for years now, and I've learned a lot along the way. In Part 2 I'll talk about what NOT to do, and how to avoid some of the pitfalls.

By Julie McCormick