Dublin Writers' Conference Magazine

BooksGoSocial Conference Magazine

ACCLAIMED SPEAKERS

WE FOCUS ON HELPING ESTABLISHED AUTHORS AS WELL AS ASPIRING WRITERS

Presentations and Workshops on Writing Craft, Pitching and Marketing

JOIN US IN DUBLIN FROM THE 21ST - 23RD JUNE 2019

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Conference reading magazine Executive Editor/Editor-in-Chief - Laurence O’Bryan Associate Editor - Tanja Slijepčević Graphic Designer - Mirna Gilman

Produced by BooksGoSocial 5 Dame Lane Dublin 2

BooksGoSocial.com Admin@booksgosocial.com

https://bgsauthors.com

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Table of contents 06

What authors have said about the Dublin Writers’ Conference

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conference Schedule

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conference speakers

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From Mainstream- to Self-Published

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Rethinking Book Marketing by Christine Keleny

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A Free Radical Approach to Writing by Holly Bell

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Where Do Stories Come From? By Paul Toolan

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Serious about series by Alison Morton

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Setting is Paramount by Jan Turk Petrie

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On Plot and Plotting by Robert I. Katz

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WRITING AN OFFICIAL READING GUIDE By Peter Mularney

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Short story: THE HOT DOG by Ellen Ann Callahan

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romance recommendations

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Five things Every Author should know before they publish their book by Amy Collins

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The Dublin Writers’ Conference This conference will help you to improve your writing craft, publish successfully, and plan the marketing necessary for any author to achieve success whether traditionally published or self-published.

Acclaimed Speakers Our speakers are renowned, highly-experienced, published authors, and world class experts in writing craft and online marketing, specifically for authors. This conference provides practical support, valuable training and an opportunity to meet and get to know fellow writers in one of the world’s great literary cities.

Our expanded conference takes place at the Academy Plaza Hotel, just off O’Connell Street in the heart of Dublin’s city center. Our marketing sessions for writers will show you how you can find readers in a rapidly changing world.

Our writing craft sessions will help you broaden your writing skills. Our pitch sessions could help you to sell your story to a publisher, to Hollywood or to readers.

Come for just the Saturday sessions or join us on each of the three days. Anyone who books to attend is also welcome to our opening session on Friday evening, where we will introduce the instructors and welcome you.

Why join us?

Attend world class training sessions on writing craft and digital marketing for authors Sessions are delivered by speakers who will give you the inside track Enjoy networking with fellow writers and making valuable connections This unique conference will motivate and inspire you to reach your goals as a writer We are a proud partner member of the Alliance of Independent Authors Association and adhere to their code of conduct in all our services

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What authors have said about the Dublin Writers’ Conference: “The Dublin Writers conference was packed with great information I can use daily as a writer, editor and publicist. I traveled from the U.S. to attend, and it was well worth the expense.”

- Elizabeth Thom, American book publicist.

“This conference in Dublin is unique in that the focus is on writers and the craft of writing, rather than on readers. It’s a conference by writers, for writers.”

- Helen Nazarro, U.S. based editor and publisher.

“The BooksGoSocial conference is a very comprehensive weekend event, reasonably priced for writers to attend presentations and network with like minded people.”

- Nora Skehan, Irish sci-fi & fantasy author.

“A fantastic opportunity to get together with authors from all over the globe at different levels of success. An inspiring event that every writer should attend at least once to experience it.”

- Art Johnson, American musician and writer, who traveled from Monaco.

“The conference exceeded all expectations-Free from hype and full of practical information. Also enjoyed exchanging views with fellow authors from around the world.”

- Catherine DeVrye, best selling author, Sydney, Australia.

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“The last Dublin Writers’ Conference was really special. The speakers were amazing. My only regret was that I couldn’t attend all the sessions.

Can’t wait for next year!”

- JJ Toner, full time independent author, Dublin, Ireland.

“The Writers Conference in Dublin demonstrated professionalism, great choice of sessions, stylish venue and unbeatable Irish hospitality! I highly recommend it.”

- Barbara M Webb, independent author of 2 travel books, Quito, Ecuador

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Schedule Thursday 20th June 3:00 PM Pre-Conference Events Guided Tour, Chester Beatty Library, Dublin 2

7:30 PM Pre Conference Dinner All who wish to can attend a pay-for-yourself dinner & get-together the night before the conference starts.

Venue details will be provided by email.

Friday 21st June 2:00PM – 3:30 PM

The Academy Plaza Hotel, Findlater Place, Dublin 1

Panel 1 Opening Session – The Future Of Publishing Now 2:00 Laurence O’Bryan,

Founder of the conference will present on the latest developments in the world of publishing, which will help authors increase their income from writing.

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2:30 Dave Chesson,

The guy behind Kindlepreneur.com, will describe the “Art and Science to Getting Your Book Discovered on Amazon.” He will go over the key factors for book discovery on Amazon, how you can use them, and how he has used them for helping publishing companies and NYT authors.

3:00 Gerald M. Kilby,

Sci-fi author and self-publishing expert will describe what it takes to earn $10,000 a month as an author.

3:45PM – 5:30 PM

Panel 2 – Our Evolving Business 3:45 Jacky Dahlhaus,

Writer/director/producer, will tell us about the new online tools available for authors.

4:15 Wendy Jones,

Head of the Scottish Writers Association, will describe her take on the evolving world of publishing.

4:45 4:45 Akasha Lin Garnier,

Akasha won “best of ” branding awards with clients 11 years in a row in 3 languages.

Akasha will talk about creating a brand, establishing brand value and leveraging strengths that make a work distinctive.

5:30 PM – 6:30 PM

All Attendee Welcome & Introductions

7:00 PM – 9:30 PM And Open Mic Readings & Networking Session 9

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Saturday 22nd June 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM The Academy Plaza Hotel, Findlater Place, Dublin 1

Panel 3 – The Writers’ Journey 9:30 Rikard Sommer

Norwegian author, will talk about the Nordic Noir genre, which he writes in.

10:00 Laurence O’Bryan

Irish author, will talk about themes & tropes, tone and tension in writing.

10:30 Patricia Gibney

Irish crime author, will share some of the mistakes she made, the things she wish she’d known at the beginning and how she manages the task now in relation to story content, character growth and timelines.

11:00 Louise Phillips

Irish crime author, will talk about getting to grips with dialogue. She will describe the pitfalls to avoid, whilst exploring all the great things dialogue can offer the writer/reader.

11:30 Coffee Break 11:45 Dave Chesson

author & industry publishing expert, will talk about Amazon changes and what this means for our future.

12:15 Glenda Cimino

Irish author & trainer, will describe how we can use the Hero’s Journey story model to deepen our stories.

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++ SATURDAY STREAM 2 ++ On Saturday in our basement room sessions on “Taking our Stories to the Screen” will be held as follows:

9:30 – 11:30

Netflix producer Binnur Karaeveli, & screenwriters Michael Russell & Lindsay J Sedgwick will present on how to take stories to the screen.

COFFEE BREAK 11:45 – 12:45

John Dawson, Matt Crisci & Zachry Wheeler will tell us about their experiences creating stories for the screen.

LUNCH 14:00 – 15:30

Hollywood producer Ken Atchity will hold a workshop on how to pitch a story.

Anyone wanting to pitch publicly at 17:00 will be required to be pre-assessed during this workshop.

15:45 – 16:45

A panel of producers including Michael Hirst and Binnur Karaeveli will discuss screenwriting and show running.

Please email: admin@booksgosocial.com to book a place in these extra sessions, free with your conference pass. LUNCH BREAK 12:45

Books On Sale In The Main Conference Room

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14:00 – 17:00

There will be a short break at 15:30.

The Academy Plaza Hotel, Findlater Place, Dublin 1

Stream One Panel 4 – Preparing For Our Readers 14:00 Dee Rivera

New York brand and communication strategist will tell us about the world of PR & media coverage and how to get featured in the media in the United States.

14:30 John Dawson

screenwriter & story consultant, will discuss story’s role in our lives and how its various components must all work together to be able to create a completely rewarding, memorable experience.

15:00 Catherine Kullmann

Irish historical fiction author, will describe how to bring the past to life so that our readers make the leap with us, and how she uses research in the process.

15:30 Tea break 15:45 Chris Rush

paranormal author, will discuss sources of inspiration, marketing techniques and his involvement with Paranormal Researchers Ireland.

16:15 Richard Bradburn

is a professional editor, running his own literary consultancy. A member of both the SfEP and ALLi, Richard has a global client list spanning four continents.

16:45 15 Minute Break

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17:00 – 18:00 Pitch The Producers A Panel of TV & Movie producers will listen to a selection of pitches and provide instant feedback on your pitch and story. A not-to-be-missed opportunity to pitch or watch others pitch and see what gets accepted. This session will not be streamed online. Places limited. The room will be full. The event will be all live.

Conference Dinner & Awards

7:30 – 10:30 The Academy Plaza Hotel, Findlater Place, Dublin 1

The Dublin Writers’ Conference Awards For Pure Excellence After Dinner Speakers including:

Michael Hirst, Ken Atchity, Steven Spatz Improv Theatre Show Irish Music Poems

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Sunday 23rd 9:00 – 12:30

The Academy Plaza Hotel, Findlater Place, Dublin 1

Panel 5 – Finding Readers & Reviewers 9:00 Jack Kregas

multiple self-published author and veteran poker player Jack Kregas will tell us all the things not to do when self-publishing and how he learned the hard way how to get it right despite a stream of challenging situations.

9:30 Tanja Slijepcevic

Operations Manager at BooksGoSocial, the main sponsors of the conference, will give a talk on the latest advertising services for book promotion.

10:00 Martina Carroll

author and lecturer at University College Dublin, will give a talk about the psychology of writing and it’s impact on our lives.

10:30 Nick Singh

Nick Singh talks you through the options and opportunities to independently publish and distribute your books with the award-winning platform, IngramSpark®.

Nick Singh is responsible for Ingram Spark’s business development around the globe as well as working with new clients.

11:00 Coffee Break 11:15 Lisa V Proulx

best selling author, editor and indie author coach will provide a step by step guide to becoming a best-selling author.

11:45 Allie Marie

retired U.S. law enforcement officer and author of the True Colors paranormal series will ask you: are your female police characters unique or just shadows of existing

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entertainment industry stereotypes? You will learn tips and new approaches to avoid the tropes of Hollywood – Back and Badder than Ever.

12:15 Anne Tannam

author, poet and certified creative coach will send us away with tools to help us design and sustain a flourishing creative practice that fits our unique personality, lifestyle and writing goals.

2:45 – 1:30

An opportunity will be provided for authors to view books on sale from other attendees and staff before the conference closes.

Thank You & Brief Final Address

1:00

1:30 Closing

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SPEAKERS Ken Atchity Ken Atchity is a Los Angeles based movie producer and author, who has worked in the world of letters as a literary manager, editor, speaker, writing and career coach, columnist, book reviewer, brand consultant, and professor of comparative literature.

He has produced over 30 films, has sold hundreds of books to traditional publishers, and direct published over 150 books through his own publishing house. Previously a book reviewer for the Los Angeles Times, Ken was also Vice President of P.E.N. Los Angeles.

He and his companies, The Story Merchant, Atchity Productions, The Writers Lifeline, Inc., and The Louisiana Wave Studio, LLC, produce films and/or develop books for publication; and books, screenplays, and films for television and cinema, and consult with writers about their career strategies and tactics.

Find Ken at: StoryMerchant.com and @kennja .

Ken Atchity American movie producer, author, columnist, book reviewer, and professor of comparative literature.

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Louise Phillips

is an author of four bestselling psychological crime thrillers, each shortlisted for Best Irish Crime Novel of the Year in the Irish Book Awards.

Her second novel, THE DOLL’S HOUSE, won the award.

Her work has formed part of many literary anthologies, and she has won both the Jonathan Swift Award and the Irish Writers’ Centre Lonely Voice platform.

She teaches crime fiction at the Irish Writers’ Centre in Dublin, and this year, she was long listed for a CWA Dagger in the Library Award. She has also been a judge on the Irish panel for the EU Literary Award. Her first two novels, RED RIBBONS and THE DOLL’S HOUSE will be published in the U.S. in 2016 and 2017. Her latest novel is THE GAME CHANGER. Find Louise at: Louise-Phillips.com and @LouiseMPhillips.

Louise Phillips Bestselling & Award Winning Irish Crime Writer & Writing Craft Instructor

Zachry Wheeler

is the author of Transient, a post-apocalyptic novel that is currently in development with Voltage Pictures (The Hurt Locker, Dallas Buyers Club) to become a feature film. He also writes the Max and the Multiverse saga, an ongoing sci-fi comedy series that is in the initial stages of being adapted for television.

Zachry is an active presence on the convention circuit where he gives presentations on various subjects, including indie publishing and author branding. He also served as a board member of SouthWest Writers, an acclaimed nonprofit organization devoted to helping writers of all levels improve their craft.

Learn more at ZachryWheeler.com.

Zachry Wheeler Canadian science fiction author and screenwriter 17

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Patricia Gibney

Irish crime author, has sold almost 1.2 million books in the Detective Lottie Parker series. Her debut novel, The Missing Ones, was published by London digital publisher, Bookouture, in March 2017. Bookouture was then taken over by Hachette. Her books, already in audio format, are now being published in paperback by Little Brown UK and Grand Central Books will publish The Missing Ones in the USA in late 2019.

Foreign translations have sold in twelve territories. She is represented by Ger Nichol and has three children to keep her sane, or maybe to keep the madness at bay, just a little bit!

Find out more about Patricia here: Patriciagibney.com Patricia Gibney Ireland’s Newest Crime Writer Sensation

Anne Tannam Anne Tannam was born, bred and buttered in Dublin.

A Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation, her business Creative Coaching helps clients to design and sustain flourishing creative practices. A page and spoken word poet, Anne has published two collections: Take This Life (Wordonthestreet 2011), Tides Shifting Across My Sitting Room Floor (Salmon Poetry, 2017), with a third forthcoming in 2020, and has performed her work at events and festivals at home and abroad.

For more information on Anne, visit her website www.creativecoaching.ie Anne Tannam Poet, coach & author

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Wendy H. Jones

Wendy H. Jones lives in Scotland. Her highly successful police procedural series featuring Detective Inspector Shona McKenzie, is set in the beautiful city of Dundee.

Wendy has led a varied life, which took her all over the world including Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

Wendy also worked for many years in Academia. This led to publication in academic textbooks and journals.

Her first Young Adult Mystery series was published in September 2106. She is an accomplished Public speaker on both crime writing and marketing and promotion.

She has published one non-fiction book – Power Packed Book Marketing.

Wendy Jones Author, leading Scottish crime writer, and author of Power Packed Book Marketing.

Laurence O’Bryan

Laurence O’Bryan has been training authors in digital marketing since 2012 and is also a published author.

Laurence’s has had three novels published by Harper Collins in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. These were translated and published in 10 languages. The Istanbul Puzzle, was shortlisted for Irish Crime Novel of the Year, 2012, and won the Southern California Writers Conference Grand Prize. He also self-published Social Media is Dynamite For Writers and another two novels in the puzzle series.

Laurence started BooksGoSocial.com to help other authors get discovered. The service has helped promote over 7,500 international authors. His background includes twenty-five years in marketing. He is on the committee of the Irish Writers Union and founded the Dublin Writers Conference.

Laurence O’Bryan Founder of BooksGoSocial.com, published in 11 languages, Harper Collins & other. also self published.

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John Dawson

John Dawson is a screenwriter, story consultant/script editor and facilitator for clients worldwide.

John is also a produced playwright and theatre/film director with numerous feature films projects in development. John’s received improvisation training at N. America’s famous Second City Theatre, the forerunner and principal casting pool of long-running hit TV show Saturday Night Live.

As a facilitator, he’s taught for Screen Skills Ireland, Animation Skillnet, Trinity College Dublin and Academy Award nominated Irish animation companies Brown Bag Films and Cartoon Saloon.

Website: dawsondramaworks.com John Dawson Screenwriter, story consultant & script editor.here and his publisher’s profile.

Rikard Sommer Rikard Sommer is a Norwegian author and a businessman.

He self-published his first novel in the fall of 2017, the thriller If Nobody Listens. The novel has been on Amazon’s top 50 in the genre Medical Thrillers for many months.

Rikard has more than 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur. He also lectures on business development, where he talks about the mindset of successful entrepreneurs, product development, marketing and market psychology. Rikard will talk about the Nordic Noir genre and present examples of writers and their style.

Rikard Sommer Author & entrepreneur Jacky Dahlhaus writes paranormal romance stories full-time while delving into the human psyche.

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Jacky Dahlhaus Jacky also helps indie authors by promoting them on her blog and through a newsletter. Since 2016, she’s also been a writer/ director/producer for Aberdeenshire Film Productions.

When not busy with the above (which is rare), Jacky watches movies with her family, and tries to stop her two Jack Russells from barking for no good reason. Jacky has written three novels, the Suckers Trilogy, and two short story bundles, called Short Shockers.

She’s currently working on her next paranormal romance trilogy.

Find Jacky here: https://jackydahlhaus.com/ Jacky Dahlhaus Author, self publishing expert,

Catherine Kullmann Catherine Kullmann writes historical fiction set in the extended Regency period against a background of the offstage, Napoleonic wars.

Her books consider the situation of women trapped in a patriarchal society and look at what comes after the Happy End. Catherine will discuss how to bring the past to life in your novels so that readers make the jump with you into a different world. She will describe her research process, how she manages her historical knowledge and how she uses it to promote her books.

For more about Catherine see: http://www.catherinekullmann.com

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Allie Marie Allie Marie is a retired law enforcement officer. Her first book Teardrops of the Innocent: The White Diamond Story, was released in fall 2015. It was followed by the second book of the series. Heart of Courage: The Red Ruby Story, released in May 2016, which won Best Book in Mystery and Suspense at the 2017 Indie Romance Convention Readers’ Choice Awards and a third and fourth book in the series. Allie Marie has appeared at over 80 locations to promote her books. She is a member of RWA and Sisters in Crime, as well as their local chapters, and other writing groups.

Find out more about Allie here.

Allie Marie Author, retired law enforcement officer

Gerald. M. Kilby Gerald. M. Kilby grew up on a diet of Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clark, and Frank Herbert. This developed into a taste for Ian M. Banks, Stephen R. Donaldson and everything ever written by Neal Stephenson.

Understandable then, that he should choose science fiction as his weapon of choice when entering the fray of storytelling. His COLONY MARS series, and more recently THE BELT series, are a pure sci-fi feast.

He lives in Dublin and can sometimes be seen tapping away on a small laptop in a local cafe with his dog Loki.

Please his web site here.

Gerald M Kilby Bests Selling Sci-fi author ,

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Michael Russell Sunday Times bestselling author with an extensive background in television drama in Britain and Ireland, including The Bill, Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders and A Touch of Frost. Michael is also the author of the successful Stefan Gillespie historical detective novels, including City of Lies, published by Constable in 2017.

The City in Flames, the latest instalment in the series, will be available in hardback in July, 2019. Michael has also contributed to The Perfect Murder: Spine-chilling Short Stories for Long Summer Nights and translated the first part of The Last Days of Mankind – The Last Night, Karl Kraus’s epic satire about the first World War. You can find more about Michael here.

Michael Russell Author & screen writer.

Glenda Cimino Glenda Cimino, playwright, producer, poet, trained initially in the Focus Theatre Studio in Dublin. She then co-founded Beaver Row Press, which published the first poetry collections including Brendan Kennelly’s Cromwell.

She co-produced experiential workshops on ‘The Tain.’

She is now a co-facilitator with specialisation in drama and improvisation with the ‘Fools Dance Gestalt Company’, currently running a training course in designing Rebillot-type experiential structures using myth and drama. She has written, directed and produced prizewinning short films, and a mythical play set in ancient Greece, ‘Puppets of the Gods.’ Her poetry, short stories, and memoir essays have won prizes and been published in anthologies in Ireland and the United States.

Glenda Cimino Playwright, producer, poet

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Lindsay Jane Sedgwick Lindsay Jane Sedgwick is an award-winning screenwriter.

She created Punky, the first mainstream animation series globally in which the central character has special needs (Down’s syndrome). Two series later, it is available in over 100 countries. Lindsay has worked in live action and animation, written for kids and adults, in film, TV and games while delivering courses and masterclasses for over twenty years. She published Ireland’s first comprehensive guide to screenwriting, two novels, and has recently signed a deal to publish her first two children’s books.

Find out more at: www.lindsayjsedgwick.com Lindsay J. Sedgwick Author, screenwriter, lecturer

M.G. Crisci M.G. Crisci. Manhattan-born M.G. Crisci is the critically-acclaimed author of twelve books inspired by or based on real events. His literary works include books in the genres of romance, history, politics and crime.

He is also a former Fortune 500 senior executive, an internationally-recognized expert in the field of consumer motivation and behavior, and a thought-provoking social commentator who believes non-political, cross-cultural activities have the power to increase mutual respect and trust between allies and enemies. He has been elected to Who’s Who in the World 23 times and recently received lifetime achievement awards in a number of fields.

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Find out more here.

MG Crisci Author with 12 books published, featured 23 times in Who’s Who in the World.

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Richard Bradburn Richard Bradburn established editorial.ie, a successful Irish literary consultancy, in 2014. Based in West Cork, Richard now has a global client list, including both traditionally published and self-published authors of all genres.

Richard works with an author to bring the best out of their manuscript in what is a one-on-one writing masterclass, using the author’s own work as textbook. Several books he has worked on have gone on to become bestsellers, and be short-listed for major literary prizes. He also runs the popular website theopeninglines.com, which is a completely free service for authors looking to get professional feedback on their novels’ first few pages.

Richard Bradburn Editor & Author

Fauza Beltz Fauza Beltz is an author and the founder of ‘BIF Design’ a blog about interior design and fashion.

Born in a rural part of Kwale in Kenya, Fauza has one child, Jasper. She authored, Rising From The Dust: A Woman’s Journey To Self Discovery and co-authored Fierce and Fabulous, The Feminine Force of Success. Fauza is an engaging and a powerful speaker who uses her own life experience to empower other people who feel like they are stuck.

Fauza lives in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. Her greatest passion is to live life meaningful and inspire others to do the same.

Find out more here.

Fauza Beltz Author, entrepreneur

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Dee Rivera Dee Rivera is an Influencer, Brand & Communication Strategist, Author, TV Spokesperson and expert, fashion, beauty and lifestyle guru. She has been featured on numerous media platforms airing nationally in the United States and throughout Latin America. Dee can be seen as host on WPIX11, Telemundo, Sirius XM, NBC and Fox TV. With extensive editorial experience Dee also successfully created celebrity covers that included Jennifer Lopez, Eva La Rue, Jon Secada, Rosie Perez, and a plethora of others. Her book Glambition Knocking Down Walls In Heels released February 2019. DCG’s motto: “We Place You On The Map.” Find Dee at: DCG Public Relations.

Dee Rivera CEO/Influencer, Brand & Communication Strategist & Author.

Steven Spatz Steven Spatz is a writer, marketer and the President of BookBaby, the United State’s leading self-publishing services company.

After career stops at Mattel Collectibles and Hasbro, Spatz was named BookBaby president in 2016. Today the company creates eBooks and printed books for over 50,000 authors, distributing their work to online stores in over 150 countries around the world. He has published two books, is a regular contributor to Quora and Medium, and has been published in Inc., Forbes, Fast Company and Apple News. He lives outside of Philadelphia with his two children and slightly demented cat.

Learn more at bookbaby.com.

Steven Spatz Writer, marketer and the President of BookBaby.

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Binnur Karaevli Binnur Karaevli is a writer, producer and director.

Binnur earned her BFA in Drama from Carnegie-Mellon University and her MFA in Film Production from the University of Southern California.

She was the Literary Manager at the Los Angeles Theatre Center where, in 1991, she founded the “Platform�, an acclaimed political cabaret theatre group. Her commercial production experience includes working for Ridley Scott & Associates, PBS and BBC. She won awards at the Moondance and WinFemme International Film Festivals.

She also won the Best of the Fest award at the Washington DC Independent Film Festival.

Find out more here: Binnur Karaevli Binnur Karaevli Writer, producer and director.

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Professional Self-Publishing “I would one hundred percent recommend SilverWood Books to fellow writers, above all other self-publishers. They are everything you’re looking for; approachable, efficient and professional.”

Pauline Tait – The Fairy in the Kettle series

Professional Assistance from an Expert Team Use SilverWood as your one-stop professional publishing team. Our practical knowledge and design expertise means we can take care of everything you need to produce and publish to mainstream standards – allowing you to focus on promoting your new book, and writing the next.

How can we help you...?

• Editing and proofreading

• Typesetting and cover design • POD, bulk printing and ebooks • Distribution to the book trade • Marketing tools

Discuss your book with Publishing Director Helen Hart

E: enquiries@silverwoodbooks.co.uk T: 0117 910 5829

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From Mainstream- to Self-Published From Mainstream- to Self-Published Children’s and historical fiction author Ann Turnbull discusses her writing and publishing journey Author profile

Ann Turnbull’s love of writing began at a very early age, and by the time she was 10, she knew she wanted to be a writer. In her mid-teens, she was tapping out stories on a typewriter her parents had given her and one short story earned her a place at the Writers’ Summer School at Swanwick. With growing confidence, Ann started sending her stories to publishers in hope someone would see their potential and give her an opportunity.

She learned shorthand and typing at school, and at seventeen she left to take up work as a secretary, while continuing to write in her spare time. But by her late twenties Ann began to feel that she would never be published and, wanting a change of direction, she decided to train as a teacher. “I read a lot of modern children’s books as part of my course,” recalled Ann. “I absolutely loved them and thought, I could do that.”

Ann set to work on a new story, and once she was happy with it, sent it off to a publisher.

It took just one rejection before she received the acceptance letter she was hoping for.

Her first book was published in 1974.

Since then, Ann has written about 40 books for children and young adults. Many are based around historical events and do an incredible job of bringing facts, dates and history to life. She has written stand-alone stories set in different centuries, a trilogy about the early Quakers, a collection of Greek myths and a trio of books for younger children about significant 17th Century events - the Gunpowder Plot, the Plague and The Great Fire of London. The first book in Ann’s Quaker trilogy for teens, No Shame, No Fear, was shortlisted for the Guardian Fiction Prize and the Whitbread Book Award (now known as the Costa Book Award).

Ann has self-published two books with SilverWood: her latest story, In That Time of Secrets, and a new edition of a previously published book, Deep Water.

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Self-publishing to breathe new life into an out-of-print story

Ann was inspired to seek out a self-publisher after getting a number of enquiries from people, particularly teachers, looking for her middle years fiction book, Deep Water.

First published in 1996, the book, which is a gripping tale centred around a moral dilemma, had gone through several editions with two different publishers and had ended up going out of print.

“At that time I was selling my out-of-print books on Amazon Marketplace,” said Ann. “I eventually sold all my spare copies of Deep Water, so I thought it would be worth self-publishing, and I started looking for a company to help me.”

Having worked with publishing houses for years, Ann had a good idea of what to look for. “I was drawn to SilverWood because they sounded very efficient. They were also one of the few self-publishers that didn’t have typos in their ad!” said Ann. “They were very good at setting out the costs and exactly what would be required from both sides. It was very clear, and the SilverWood team were always friendly. It’s not quite the same as the ongoing relationship you get with an editor at a publishing house, but I didn’t mind that - what I wanted was a good-looking book.”

New edition paves the way for another historical novel

When revising Deep Water for self-publishing, Ann changed very little apart from some character names. She wanted more unusual names to make it less likely that someone would get teased for having the same name as an undesirable character.

Deep Water was published with SilverWood in 2013 and Ann is delighted with the new look and feel of the book.

In late 2014, Ann started writing again, knowing that one of her previous publishers was waiting for another novel from her. In fact, it was the research from an earlier book that formed the basis of In That Time of Secrets.

“I had done masses of research for the Gunpowder Plot book, which is tiny, and this research inspired me with an idea that isn’t directly about the Gunpowder Plot but is linked to it. It’s set in the Midlands, and gives an idea of how it felt to be separated from events in London at that time. It’s a story about Catholic priests hiding from the authorities, and is also a story about love.”

Despite initial commissioning by a publisher, five months into writing In That Time of Secrets Ann heard that they weren’t going to publish it.

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“I carried on anyway and finished the book, and my agent loved it and began sending it out to publishers,” reflected Ann. “All along, I wasn’t sure if it was as good as my other books. Without the support of my usual publishers, I felt very uncertain - and although many of the publishers my agent sent it to said that they loved it, they nearly all described it as a ‘quiet’ book and were not prepared to take it on.” However, Ann’s agent still felt it had great potential and, given her confidence in the process of self-publishing, Ann decided to give her book a chance. “I wasn’t expecting to sell it in large numbers,” she said.

“I just wanted to get it out there after so much work.”

Outcome for the author

In That Time of Secrets was published with SilverWood in 2018 and Ann is very happy with the book. SilverWood designed a bespoke illustration for the cover, lending itself to the darker, secretive aspect of the story using Ann’s ideas from the cover brief.

“It looks great,” said Ann. “My ideas for the cover at first seemed useless. Because I’m used to illustrations or photos, they were too complex. The cover SilverWood came up with is really strong and it’s got all the information you need in it. I eventually liked it very much - it’s rare for me to like them immediately!”

Ann was happy with SilverWood’s process, and likes the potential for self-publishing her books for older and younger children. “What I liked about self-publishing was having complete control. It was very efficient and SilverWood always came back with very quick responses; you just don’t get that with a traditional publisher because they have to work in a different way and the whole process is more complex.”

Ann’s fiction books help to bring history to life for younger readers. She has been in touch with a few key bookshops about her books and has spotted a marketing opportunity with the historic stately homes she visits for inspiration for her stories.

Anne says, “SilverWood’s speed of publication is brilliant and they’re always very clear about what they do and what I need to do throughout the process, and what my rights are. I’ve been really impressed with the speed at which they respond to emails, too. I know they will produce a beautiful book with a beautiful cover.”

If you’re about to start your publishing journey and you need some help and advice, please get in touch with Helen and the SilverWood Books team: enquiries@silverwoodbooks.co.uk www.silverwoodbooks.co.uk SilverWood can help you create a professional quality book and will support you every step of the way.

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Gator Girl: The Royal Seduction by Kari Nelson Betrayed by her best friend, who first, stole and then married the man that she loved, Kelsey sets out on a perilous journey to right the wrong by offering up her virginity. This all goes haywire when her brothers interfere, introducing their friend, Royal Prince Stephen Lyons, who is after some revenge of his own. And Kelsey’s virginity is the perfect prize.

Love Song Standards Series Boxed Set

by Cynthia Roberts If you love Contemporary Romances with relatable, flawed characters who are sometimes wounded or broken and eventually find that kind of love we all dream of, you’ll love this series titled after some of the greatest love songs of all times.

Daring Dreamer (Inspiration in Cologne Book 1)

by Deborah King Two best friends. Two fresh starts. Will old regrets sabotage their second chance? Janna’s heart is heavy with grief and broken by betrayal. But as she leaves the big city for a quaint midwestern town, the future feels less frightening with her best friend, Shelby, by her side. After landing a job in the local fresh market and the attentions of a handsome architect, she may yet learn to heal old scars…

Virgin at Fifty by Pam Keevil In this uplifting novel, Angie Jarvis -the Virgin at Fifty-was Sister Ruth until her evidence of child abuse in her church was ignored. Out of the convent with no faith, no family, no job and no friends, her life has to begin again. This is the story of that first year; it’s tears, laughter, frustrations and rewards.

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Poems for The Heart, Volume II

by Joseph J Cacciotti Joe Cacciotti began writing poetry when he was seventeen years old. He found that sometimes when thoughts are written into words, magic happens. Says Joe, “I’m not talking about genies popping out of bottles but how I am able to see things more clearly. How beautiful this world truly is!” Joe tells of being shy as a young man and missing opportunities to talk to the special ladies he liked. One day, he wrote a poem for a girl he had his eye on but was too shy to ask out on a date. “I walked up to her, handed her the poem, and walked away. Later, she approached me, and we went out on a date. I found the magic potion to breaking the ice was a piece of paper and a writing pen.” Joe began collecting his writings in a notebook. After being told by many different people that he should share his writings with others, he published the ones he thought would touch hearts the most.

Book was awarded one of the best Inspirational books of 2014 by American Poets Society

Harley’s Return: Wait For Me by Cassandra Parker Everyone thought Harley was dead. Can he convince Mari he is alive?

Can they overcome obstacles in their path to reunite and follow the road to love?

On Common Ground by Jansen Schmidt A woman destroyed his ability to trust. A man destroyed her ability to care. Can love unlock their fear and heal their hearts? Travel to the Diamond D Ranch, where Trevor and Ketra try to keep their distance from one another … until Trevor discovers that their lives are intertwined and the Arizona heat is turned up in more ways than one.

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Andrew’s Outback Love: Outback Australia Romance by Susan Horsnell Dr. Andrew Lowman is an Australian Eye Specialist who has a passion for restoring sight to those who would otherwise endure life with poor eyesight or blindness. Medical facilities are not easily accessed in the wide-open spaces and isolation of the outback where the air is hot, flies are plenty and life is tough for those on the land. A land as beautiful as it is harsh.

A land which captures the hearts of all those who live on her.

“Wow, the descriptions of the outback were so vivid I could almost feel the perspiration on my own skin from the scorching sun, the dust, the pesky insects as well! However it was the feeling of serenity and peace that was the most vivid and although I have actually been to these places, many years ago, it made me yearn to go back.”

Chestnut Springs by Carol J. Bova Brenda Maxwell’s 30-year career ended in one spectacularly bad day, and with it, her meticulous plans for the future.

Now, with her savings dwindling, she’s trading her luxury condo in Los Angeles for an off-the-grid cabin in West Virginia. Brenda thinks it’s a temporary move, but she never planned on finding a second chance at life and love in quiet Chestnut Springs. “[Bova’s] touch remains gentle throughout, her portrayals unflinchingly honest while still displaying a tolerance for human failing.” — Chesapeake Style magazine

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Cosmic Cowboy the Musical by J.D. West A zany musical comedy, touching love story, and fast-paced adventure thriller combined with “Elvis Presley meets Star Wars” plot twists. Cosmic Cowboy the Musical stars the love-struck alien Prince Remo, from faraway Planet Vegas (complete with glowing blue-grey skin and personal flying saucer), and the object of his adoration, aspiring Nashville country singer Jenna Lee Jenkins. When Remo comes to town, the Nashville music scene goes wild - and so does Jenna’s sleazy manager, Lance. Can Remo get the girl and Lance get the gigs - or will the men in black get to the alien first?

“This is a MUST Listen!”

This riveting and exciting romp will keep you completely and thoroughly engaged with your imagination running wild!

Think ‘Cosmic Cowboy Meets Starman at the Grand Ole Opry’!

The Knowing by Cherie Mitchell Join the one-of-a-kind Beecroft family as they make their epic journey from Missouri to a new life in California as members of a wagon train, accompanied by loved ones both living and dead. As husband and father Norton attempts to understand the unique psychic gifts bestowed on both his wife and daughter, the family must deal with the struggles, challenges, and tragedies of the Californian trail. This is a story of adversity, courage, and love eternal, a family saga with memorable characters and plenty of unexpected plot twists to keep the pages turning.

Beautifully written. A tale of love, loss, life and trust. The author leads us on a journey intrinsically woven with hope, courage, hardship, and faith in a brighter future. Absolutely loved it and couldn’t put it down.

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It is time for Jennifer to muster all her strength of will to face truths deep within her psyche about love for man, woman, and self.

Available on Amazon

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The Complete Food Substitutions Handbook by Jean B. MacLeod Replacements for common, uncommon, and hardto-find ingredients Want to replicate an ingredient, seek a healthier equivalent, or find a cheaper alternative, you’ve come to the right source. Whether you have food allergies, dietary restrictions, or ethical dos and don’ts, this book has you covered. Also, it’s one you’ll turn to time and time again: because choosing the right replacement can sometimes spell the difference between a recipe’s triumph and a recipe’s flop. “...hard to think of a more helpful, useful culinary handbook that applies to every part of the world, every walk of life, and almost every situation you could find yourself in where a substitution becomes necessary.” - The US Review of Books

Deported Americans: Life after Deportation to Mexico by Beth C. Caldwell The effects of deportation. When Gina was deported to Tijuana, Mexico, in 2011, she left behind her parents, siblings, and children, all of whom are U.S. citizens.

Despite having once had a green card, Gina was removed from the only country she had ever known.

In Deported Americans legal scholar and former public defender Beth C. Caldwell tells Gina’s story alongside those of dozens of other Dreamers, who are among the hundreds of thousands who have been deported to Mexico in recent years. Many of them had lawful status, held green cards, or served in the U.S. military.

“Accessible and eye-opening. . . . Caldwell’s extensive research, astute legal analysis, and readable prose make this a layperson-friendly introduction to a thorny problem.”

(Publishers Weekly)

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Ghosted and Breadcrumbed

by Dr. Marni Feuerman Psychotherapist Dr. Marni Feuerman offers profound and insightful advice for women who find themselves in painful and unsatisfying relationships or dating experiences again and again. She offers explanations and solutions for why we attract and accept poor treatment, experience a lack of emotional connection from romantic partners, and often reject the good ones. Based on the science of love, neurobiology, and attachment theory, as well as Dr. Feuerman’s clinical experience, Ghosted and Breadcrumbed provides expert guidance to help you recognize why you get stuck and how to change these patterns for good. Her practical advice, illustrated by real-life examples, will teach you how to spot and exit these situations and create healthy relationships that provide the love, support, and emotional connection you deserve.

“If you’ve ever wondered why you always seem to have ‘a string of bad luck’ with men, wonder no more!

This book will explain why you’ve made the choices you have and what you can do to create ‘good luck’ in love moving forward.” — Michele Weiner-Davis, author of Healing from Infidelity

High in the Mid-’60s by Rick Levy How to have a fabulous life in music without being famous..a memoir, life journey, rock n roll everyman story, spiritual journey, from a true music industry veteran who started as a kid and has played w legends from Hermans Hermits to Bo Diddley to the Box Tops and more. How his passion started and how he keeps it burning for now over 50 years. A must read for music lovers, baby boomers, and seekers of life adventures. “...Rick Levy tells us in the title and through the story of his life that he is enjoying a fabulous life, yet is not famous...Being a witness to rock and roll history, playing and rubbing elbows with legends, while not burdened with the (sometimes unrealistic) expectations and obligations of being a ‘rock-star’, has allowed him to focus on what’s really important: the music and the joy he gets in playing. A great read!!!”

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ractical Memory by I. C. Robledo Discover easy-to-learn practical tips & tools to boost your memory power today. With “Practical Memory,” you will be able to recall memories you thought had escaped you forever, stop forgetting items like your wallet or keys, and never forget where you parked the car again.

“This book isn’t designed to make you a memory wizard; it’s designed to help with practical issues most of us face regularly: losing your keys, forgetting what you went into a room to do, not remembering names. It does just what it was designed to do.” - Lillian Ammann, author of “Dream or Destiny”

an You Ride a Raindrop to the Ocean by Marti Tote This is the story I was told never to speak of-and I didn’t-until now! We were a seemingly perfect family. With a mom, a dad, and five beautiful little girls. But behind closed doors it was anything but.

He wasn’t our dad, and she wasn’t our mom-or at least, not the mom we had known in the past. For seven years he would reign over our household, leaving a trail of shattered souls, murderous rampages, and a missing child in the wake of his destruction. He was a monster in every sense of the word, and there was no escaping his psychopathic actions. His brutality would maim, shatter, and destroy an entire family. “oh marti, it was a great story, took me 3 days but well worth the read, finished it sun night and i was beside myself, i had no words, yes all you gals are survivers, how i cant imagine , and there are no words dirty or filthy enough to describe that monster, while reading i called that low life names that never roll out of my mouth, and i will go back and read it again to make sure of what i did read, i could relate to some of it also remember the 60s, how nothing was usually done, you all deserve medals, and thank you for letting people no how you can survive, everyone should read this book, and i understand taking breaks, cause i had too, i love you marti and your sisters, god bless you all, and you pretty lady keep writing!!!” - Freda Hart 41

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Which side will you be on?

The side of the Syndos, genetically-altered humans, or the side of the Naturals.

Available on Amazon

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What Lies in the Shadows: How Truth Healed a Splintered Mind by Jean Brunson Terrifying nightmares and overwhelming shame brought Kathy to counseling, where she hoped to find the truth about the past she didn’t remember. She didn’t know she had seventy personalities. As we pulled back the layers of her life, she remembered many times in her childhood when her mother took her to cult “churches.” The leaders tortured and raped her.

Revenge (The Vaedra Chronicles Book 2)

by Ester Lopez A reformed criminal struggles with a hidden power and the truth about the murdered brother of the revenge-seeking woman he loves.

The Journey of the Marked by Rebecca P. McCray A fast-paced, action-packed YA fantasy. Travel with a group of marked teens on a harrowing journey as they learn to trust each other and work together to survive. Discover this epic adventure that proves an individual’s unique abilities can change the fate of many.

Princess of Sky, Earth, Fire and Water by Cassandra Finnerty In 1772, amidst the ancient ruins and standing stones of western Ireland, a young woman inherits a fleet of ships and special powers. To keep her magic, she journeys to the East Kingdom, where she falls in love with a warrior prince.

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The House on Infinity Loop by Bonnie K.T. Dillabough She inherited a house, a cat and a key and none were what they seemed to be. The fate of all that was dear to her was now in her hands.

Journey To Osm - The Blue Unicorn’s Tale by Sybrina Durant No Metal Means No Magic in the magical metal-horned unicorn tribe. Can a unicorn with neither manage to save his tribe from extinction? Read this purely fanciful unicorn fantasy about a tribe of unicorns stranded a universe away from their home world of Unimaise to ďŹ nd out. It is full of magic, adventure and sciencey stuff plus a little bit of love and war.

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Redirect by J. B. Millhollin A flawed system of criminal justice was about to claim one more innocent victim. Barrett Armstrong, charged with a heinous, sexually motivated crime he never committed, sits in a Nashville jail awaiting trial.

Unless his fellow Private Investigator Kris Thompson can help him, his next stop will most likely be death row.

The strength of Millhollin’s novel is his intricate knowledge of the legal system--particularly when he examines what happens when best practices are ignored for the falsely accused. The sturdy narrative has a stop-and-go pacing that reflects that of real-life court systems and the author reveals how a defendant without an alibi, such as Barrett, can be convicted on merely circumstantial evidence.

HYPNOSIS by Maria Inês Rebelo Marcus Belling is a world-famous hypnotist. For the past 20 years, many exclusive clients have benefited from his skills and desire to help people. However, everything changes when a mysterious woman named Anne Pauline Roux knocks on his door. She holds a rare power when hypnotized, which will affect both their lives in ways they could never imagine. Her unique power is so strong that it doesn’t stay secret for long.

Marcus’ archrival and fellow hypnotist, Josef Salvaterra, has been looking for a way to shut down Marcus’ business for years. Pauline may just give him the opportunity he’s been waiting for. If he can work this to his advantage, he could be recognised as the greatest hypnotist the world has ever seen.

“Great book! I really liked the idea of a book that is based on hypnosis. Hypnosis is the key to this story. Especially like people who are addicted to hypnosis. In general, there are many opinions about this. Some believe in hypnosis, some do not. Before that, I had never been particularly fond of such a phenomenon, but after reading HYPNOSIS: The Return To The Past decided to learn more. In general, I have always believed that the topic of the ability to return to the past is a good topic, each author describes and reveals in his own way.”

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Remote Access by Barry Finlay “A foreign country has taken over my computer.”

With these words, a quiet Florida day is shattered for Marcie Kane and her fiancé, Nathan Harris. The caller is Marcie’s friend Annie Logan, who happens to be the wife of the president’s chief of staff. Marcie and Nathan, a consultant with the FBI, confirm the threat is real and help her convince her skeptical husband in Washington. A winner-take-all cat and mouse game ensues where the stakes include the life of the president of the United States.

“If you like crisp, well-crafted storytelling that’s as contemporary as today, you really should log on to Remote Access.” - RECOMMENDED by the US Review “There is a fluidity in the language that will mesmerize readers and the balance in prose and dialogue is felt by the reader, plus the descriptions are just terrific.” - Readers’ Favorite.

The Last Mission of the Seventh Cavalry

By Charley Brindley A unit of the Seventh Cavalry is on a mission over Afghanistan when their plane is hit. The thirteen men and women bail out of the crippled plane, but when they reach the ground, they are not in Afghanistan.

And it seems they have descended two thousand years into the past where primitive forces fight with swords and arrows. The platoon is thrown into a battle where they must choose sides quickly or die. They are swept along in a tide of events so powerful that their courage, ingenuity and weapons are tested to the limits of their durability and strength.

The characters in this novel are wonderful in their diverse personalities. It makes their adventure all the more interesting and it is impossible not to care about them. I loved the dialogue and how they developed such a deep camaraderie in the face of such overwhelming circumstances. It is a testament to their strength to see how the author guides them to deal with their challenges.

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The Hunt for Billy’s Dad (Merry Marauders Book 5) by Robert Solem A boy wants to hire the Merry Marauders to track down his missing dad. Five days previously, the dad left Tucson for Show Low in the Arizona White Mountains to find his runaway wife.

Impressed with the kid, they decide to give the search a few days, pro bono of course. They are rewarded with jail time from the cops and far worse from certain of the townspeople. Plus, there’s an inconvenient murder to complicate matters.

Emerald Coast: Free Money by Michael Guillebeau Foreword Reviews said, “Emerald Coast is a freewheeling Florida mystery from Michael Guillebeau...edgy and fun.

Characters are intensely inhabited...Emerald Coast is an immersive read.”

Murder in Palm Beach: The Homicide That Never Died by Bob Brink A prominent Palm Beach man is shot to death in his home, and a petty hoodlum is framed. The novel, based on a sensational 1976 murder, reveals shocking information never made public about who the real killer and the person behind the deed were.

The hoodlum and a reporter eventually collaborate in a search for the real murderer. Is he captured?

Falling for Katie by J M Ralley Suffering from amnesia, Katie is held captive by a man who states they are married. Snowed in, she has no way if escape.

Can she survive long enough to be rescued and learn to trust another man?

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Twisted Justice (Inspector West Book 5)

by Peter Mulraney Detective Inspector West scrambles to stop a serial killer and smash a car-stealing racket. Trent Mitchell is a man with a grudge and a list of people to execute. He’s started on his mission.

Ian Holden is a car thief with a problem. Someone wants him dead. Can Inspector West bring them to justice before Trent kills everyone on his list and Ian disappears without a trace?

Death at the Dakota by M.K. Graff Nurse Trudy Genova consults on filming at the famed Manhattan Dakota apartments. Then the star disappears and a cast member turns up dead, while boyfriend, NYPD detective Ned O’Malley, tackles a murder whose victim is burned beyond recognition.

When his investigations turns to the Dakota, Trudy wonders: how can she fall in love if she can’t survive?

FINDING MIRANDA: Minokee Mysteries by Iris Chacon A blind man and an “invisible” librarian take on corrupt politicians and are soon running for their lives in a Florida wilderness. The tiny hamlet of Minokee, population 25, used to be idyllic and quiet. With its coterie of quirky septuagenarians to back them up, Shepard and Miranda may have a slim chance to survive when hired assassins invade, but only one thing is certain: Minokee is a long way from the nearest police department or fire rescue!

Painting of Sorrow by Virginia Winters

An art conservator hiding in witness protection identifies a lost masterpiece by Caravaggio and soon she is fighting to save the painting and her own life. Who has betrayed Sarah? Whoever it was, her ex-husband Jimmy is standing on her street, outside her house, waiting. Sarah flees from Canada to Italy and back in her desperate attempt to survive.

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It is time for Jennifer to muster all her strength of will to face truths deep within her psyche about love for man, woman, and self.

Available on Amazon

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Getting Over Growing Older by Brigitte Nioche A Humorous Memoir of Discovering the Challenges of Aging Not ready to be old yet? Follow the advice of Brigitte Nioche - a fashion consultant and former model - and learn how staying positive will make your future brighter.

Corporate Crap: Lessons Learned from 40 Years in Corporate America by Howard Harrison Corporate Crap takes a humorous look at the business practices that cause people to look for new employment: meetings, performance reviews, downsizing and bosses from hell; competing for wall offices or asking if you can leave early; dress codes, task forces, brainstorming and engagement surveys; flip charts, org charts, hard stops and hard-ons. All of this and more is Corporate Crap.

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Rethinking Book Marketing by Christine Keleny Book Marketing seems like an elusive beast to most writers. We spend a lot of time and effort learning and honing our writing skills to put together the best book we can and now we’re supposed to get a marketing degree?!

But book marketing doesn’t have to be so complicated.

Dan Blank of WeGrowMedia (a guru of book marketing – wegrowmedia.com) interviewed Ze (Zay) Frank, president of Buzzfeed Motion Pictures (Buzzfeed. com), about connecting with people. Dan’s feeling it is a matter of “collaboration” on a personal level. I think you can use the word “collaboration” in a few different ways, but I took it more as connecting.

With Buzzfeed, Ze works primarily with social media. And get this: Ze says with some of his more viral posts, he doesn’t really know why they went viral. I think that says a lot. Like, maybe we over think this stuff !

Dan goes on to say: But for the 1,000 other things you do to try to develop an audience for your work — articles, events, interviews, blogs, newsletters, social media — don’t assume you know what will work. Experiment and allow others to help you learn what does and doesn’t work to engage them.

That means trying a lot of different things.

I think that is how most of the best marketing works for most authors. It’s not that one post or that one event you go to or that one person you meet, but over time, it’s all those posts, all those events, all those people you meet who add up to opportunities to share yourself and your stories with others.

Everyone is looking for a quick fix related to marketing their book(s). Think about it – if it existed, don’t you think someone would have found it by now. It takes time and effort, lots of efforts, actually, and missteps (let’s not call it failure – it’s a learning process, right?), but there will be targets hit along the way and lots of fun experiences, too!

What I have found is things I do in person work the best and sometimes lead to things I can’t predict.

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Here’s my example: I was recently invited by a librarian to present at an evening talk event her library has a few times a year. I met her at a small town art and craft fair where I was selling my books. Now, this library is probably smaller than 1000 square feet, and this town has a population so small that they can’t get a grocery store to move in where the old one once stood for years. But this innovative librarian has partnered with a small pizza/ice cream shop (Central 52) in town (a big deal for this town) to host evening speakers a few times a year on all kinds of topics. This particular evening I was the guest speaker.

I showed up early, met the owner (a woman), and had an ice cream while I set up my books for display. Six people came out on a cold, wet spring evening to hear me talk about writing and publishing. It was an interactive, intimate group. I made some new acquaintances, had my picture taken with the librarian and her friend, which was posted on the shop website (which I then reposted, of course). I was connected to the daughter of one of the participants who does editing (I’m always looking for proofing help for my clients) and I sold 5 books!

Notice how I incorporated my social media into that event. You can’t do just one thing – only do in person events, only do a website, only do Instagram or twitter or facebook.

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You can’t be in one place (online or in person) and expect to reach a lot of people.

Ze says that only 15-17% of views of Buzzfeed content comes from Buzzfeed’s website and the same percent from their other channels: emails, social media… I think that is amazing! A big company like that and that’s how many people come to their site or visit their social media and share their content?!

What does this mean? Same thing, really. You can’t put up a website and decide that is good enough. You need to be in a lot of different places over a long period of time – I think that is key.

Building an audience, building readers and followers takes time.

And remember, some (most?) of the online sharing (or person to person sharing, for that matter), you have no control over. Kind of like reviews: You must ask for them, but you can’t make a person give you a review. Ask anyway. Ask in person.

Ask by putting a signed note in every book you sell. Ask by putting the request in the back of your book and a link in your ebook.

I’m going to go back for pizza with my husband to Central 52 – that small town shop that I spoke at. The pizza smelled really good and we’re always looking for new pizza places to try. Who would have thought about all the connections I made and possibilities that would come from a library that is no bigger than 1000 square feet in a town that isn’t large enough to have a grocery store.

Maybe that will be the end of it, but maybe it won’t. One never knows.

So keep on keepin’ on! Put yourself out there. Stretch that comfort zone. Meet people! (They’re book readers, how scary can they be?!) Keep your eyes and ears open. Over time you can’t predict how it will pay off, but it will.

Christine Keleny CKBooks Publishing ckbookspublishing.com christinekelenybooks.com Christine is an award-winning author and indie (hybrid) publisher.

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A Free Radical Approach to Writing by Holly Bell In March, in the Books Go Social Authors Facebook Group, our Laurence asked ‘…what is your writing routine?’ It resulted in 95 comments. Here are some of the words that came up: strict, try, impossible, no energy, goal, determination, need, stuck, lull, moaning, procrastinate, disciplined, can’t, tired, flagging.

These are a tribute to the sheer effort, rigour, sacrifice and force of will that many, if not most, writers put into their products. They are to be saluted. Significant works have been created with these tools.

However, is there another way?

We’ve all been faced with the blank page of the New Document or the notebook.

But where did it all start? It started with an idea, an idea for a book, and then a feeling about that idea. Generally speaking, one or all of the following: enthusiasm, excitement, passion, delight. And that was there in some of the comments in Laurence’s thread too when people were talking about their current projects. So how do we keep that feeling going to power us through the actual pen-to-paper/ fingers to keyboard process?

If, as I do, you work from home in some form or another and so have some flexibility over your hours and work-flow, then, you are in a fortunate position. So this is my practice: I wait for the wave. Sometimes it’s a writing-new-material wave, at others its an editing or researching wave, but whatever its form, I ride it until we hit the beach. It’s amazingly efficient. The words flow, both in terms of sentence structure and emotional terrain. You know when you look at something you’ve written, and you say to yourself, ’That’s good!’? Well, that’s the result.

The contrast is material I’ve forced. It’s just that: laboured, unclear, devoid of feeling or confused in its message. My beta readers and my editor spot those sentences. I nod knowingly. How right they are. I remember where I was in my head and heart when I wrote those passages.

That’s all very well, you may say, but what if you have just that precious half hour that you got up at the crack of dawn for, that hour in the evening, that morning on Sunday, that week you took off work, in which to write? Don’t you have to make yourself use that time, so you have a sense of accomplishment and progress? Well, I would say, and I do have deadlines and time slots, yes and no.

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The key is in the feeling of ‘sense of accomplishment and progress.’ However, this is a cart before the horse situation. What if you begin with those feelings? Imagine how you will feel, when you go on with your day, week, month after writing well. You save your document with those extra new or edited words, that further research completed, and the ideas for the next step bubbling away. These are the visualisations that help me and may inspire you: seeing that knotty passage smoothed out, imagining the spine of your new book on the bookshelf, sitting either among loved authors or others you’ve written, opening the box of the first proof copies, enjoying the physical sensations of it in your hands, seeing it on Amazon or another retailer for the first time, posting the new cover, launching the book, sitting in your favourite bookshop signing copies, getting your first positive feedback, looking at your book and thinking: Yes, I did this.

If you’re so stuck, blocked and discouraged that you can’t even think about your own writing, then, where better to go then Books Go Social Authors Facebook Group? Not just so that you can share that and get encouragement but so that you can absorb something of the joy of others who are sharing their new milestones. All right, you might not be there where they are, but it can remind you of how you did feel when you were and will be again. You did it once, in some way or another, you can do it again. And one of us made it: got that book published, won that award or competition, received that five-star review. When a member of our group succeeds, we all succeed in spirit.

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Does this getting into or waiting for the right emotional place, would this work for you? Why not try it? There is no financial cost. You have nothing to lose. Consider it a thought experiment. Whatever way, you’re getting those words down, you are creating. So many readers say, ‘I could never do that.’ But you can and do, one way or another. You are a writer. You bring things into the world that weren’t there before. It’s remarkable. Maybe that’s as good a place as any to feel positive about the extraordinary thing you do, and let that carry you at least some way into the process.

Happy writing.

Holly Bell is a writer, photographer and videographer. She is the author of The Amanda Cadabra Cozy Paranormal Mysteries published by Heypressto and available on Amazon. As a child, she found her first Agatha Christie in the family library and simply couldn’t get enough of them. Having read the entire canon at least three times, they have been a significant influence on Holly’s own writing, infused with the vintage quality of English village life of the 1930s as evoked by the doyenne of the cosy mystery, and the love of a well-crafted puzzle.

New to creating works of fiction, Holly has written reams of marketing text, non-fiction, and editorial notes. Her favourite literary work is Lord of the Rings.

Holly is an ardent cat and chocolate fan. ‘They both go so well with curling up with a book and are frequently the answer to writers block.’

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Bikers, Rockers & the FBI from Sam Jacobey A Dark Romantic Read for MA only!

Tori’s life is incredible – can you handle the ride?

Read in order - Ebook, PB, AUDIO & FREE on KU http://hyperurl.co/zrqjyv Captive: A New Life Series is an epic adventure. TORI FARRELL’s life IS one wild story... escaped from a biker gang and running from drug lords... used by the FBI and hoping to protect her present from her past... IT’S DARK - IT’S BRUTAL, and it’s WORTH EVERY MINUTE OF IT!! (Mature read, 18+ for graphic sexual content and violence, including rape)

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Magical DRAGON FANTASY from Kevin J Kessler Humans are blissfully ignorant of Terra’s past inhabitants But they want it back!

Read in Order – Ebook, PB & FREE on KU http://myBook.to/RosinantiSeries From Book 1: The Rosinanti Dragons are no more. Since their extinction nearly one thousand years ago these primal powerhouses have fallen into the obscurity of history’s forgotten lore. In that time, humans have come to dominate the world of Terra, peacefully ignorant to one horrifying truth: ancient evil stirs around them, waiting to reclaim its lost world.

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Where Do Stories Come From? By Paul Toolan

If only I received royalties every time a reader asked me this!

Here, there or everywhere is the true but unhelpful answer. In A View from Memory Hill, there’s a short story called Old Man, Young Pub that was triggered by seeing… an old man in a young pub!

I was at the Brighton Festival [Brighton, England – I used to live there] with old friends/fellow retirees. We dropped into a wonderful, low-ceilinged pub called The Basketmakers, whose decor has barely been touched since it opened. I remember thinking we were the oldest people there, among many young and lively folk, some dressed in the trendiest fashion, some so far ahead they were next year.

It was a hot day, but as I looked around I spotted an old gentleman in a tweed jacket and tie, standing at the bar, quietly sipping his beer. All around him, bright young things were loud and full of energy. They squatted on bar stools, but no-one offered a seat to the old guy, and his legs could have used one. I wondered about his silent thoughts.

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His anonymity, mine too, amongst this colorful crowd threw up a name: Smith.

With the conscious germ of a story now in my head, I called him Frank Smith in the hope he would eventually be frank enough to tell some sort of tale. I never spoke to this old man, but later when I sat at my keyboard, I spoke to Frank Smith - or he to me. I really don’t know which came first.

What I had was a character and a setting. No plot, no events, no history. Yet. But Frank Smith traveled with me, later in the Arts Festival, to a shabby-chic little theatre where, on hard seats, we watched a trio of skilled actors on a bare, dark stage. Magically, they brought to life some of Damon Runyan’s New York Prohibition stories.

Shortly after, inside that inexplicable swirl called a writer’s head, two separate experiences merged. Frank Smith went to his local pub, and he went to see a play.

To keep the story structure tight, I made the theatre a blacked-out room at his pub and had him go out of sheer boredom. Frank would have liked the Damon Runyan stories, but there’s insufficient conflict in what characters enjoy. I needed to change the play, to find one that Frank Smith liked less, that triggered something of his history, his demons or regrets.

On my bookshelves, I have Samuel Beckett: The Complete Dramatic Works. I browsed through it. Krapp’s Last Tape seemed ideal. It featured an old man’s memories, recalled with the aid of an old reel-to-reel tape recorder. Krapp is a drinker too, which resonated with Frank. While flicking through, I revisited Rockaby, a short Beckett play featuring an old woman in a rocking chair, remembering her past.

Within moments, Frank Smith had a wife.

A day or two later, I named her Lucy. Then killed her off. The story would have become a novel if I hadn’t, and I wanted to balance Frank’s aging memories – of Lucy and others – with voices of youth. So along came the young woman who ushers the audience to their seats in ‘the long thin dark theatre’ where Krapp’s Last Tape is performed. Her surprise that Frank turned up at all, among so many young people, releases the demons that rumbled as Frank watched the play. Short stories need a moment of realization or change, and the clash between her enthusiasm for the play’s use of the past and Frank’s disturbed memories provided this.

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‘We’ve all been something,’ was all he managed to say. ‘Known someone.’

The story might have ended there, but because the theme of age and youth was wellestablished I felt more could be done. I went back to the keyboard and jiggled the plot, making Frank inadvertently upset the ‘woman in black’, so her young hopes and dreams could quietly confront his regrets.

“In the half-dark, she looked squarely at him, black T-shirt and jeans appraising jacket and tie. A slight twitch flickered her lips. He thought there might be tears.

‘We all have dreams,’ she said, in the quietest voice he’d ever heard. ‘I’d rather dream than drift, any day.’ She pressed her lips together to control the twitch, but it continued. ‘What’s wrong with having dreams?’ she asked.”

This exchange then allowed a more positive development in Frank, making for a more satisfying conclusion [in my view, anyway, but I’d love to hear yours too].

So, a chance observation in a pub, a visit to a play, a book on a shelf, some musings and experiments at the keyboard – and before too long there’s a character’s voice, a felt situation, and a set of realizations. If it was as easy as I’ve made it sound…

I drop into a pub maybe once a week. I’m wondering if I should go more often. Pubs are full of people, and where there are people, there are stories.

You can find A View from the Memory Hill here: smarturl.it/avwm Paul Toolan is an urban Northerner cheerfully enjoying rural retirement in the West of England, where he writes plays, stories and the Detective Inspector Zig Batten crime series, set amid the cider-apple landscape of Somerset.

In A Killing Tree, the first novel in the series, a walking group discover a dead body at a local beauty spot. The sequel, A January Killing, explores the consequences of a murder at a ‘Wassail’ in a freezingcold orchard. In An Easter Killing, the ancient traditions of a Somerset village become the backdrop to a shocking crime.

The short stories in A View from Memory Hill journey into the half-shaded landscape of memory, exploring the idea that we live life forwards but understand it backwards.

Reviewers have commended the rural descriptions and deep-set community feel of the books, describing them as beautifully written, peppered with grit and wit, and for readers who prefer a full meal to fast food.

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Fairfield Corners from LA Remenicky!

Love stories with a TWIST of paranormal Each is a suspense filled standalone ebook, pb, AUDIO & FREE on KU! http://myBook.to/FairfieldCorners From Book 1: Some secrets are too dangerous to keep.

After ten years in the big city, Cassie Holt is back in Fairfield Corners. She may look like the same girl who left home a decade before but she’s hiding a dark truth from everyone. When her life is threatened by the demons of her past, her best friend— who happens to be the local sheriff—offers his help.

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Serious about series by Alison Morton When I started my first novel, INCEPTIO, I had no idea what I was doing. Writing was an impulse, a reaction to a dire film and thinking I could produce something better.

But not even halfway through the first draft, I realised I had a far bigger story than I’d anticipated. So I did the classic thing – I decided to make it a trilogy. But in the end it became a series of eight books; six full length novels, a novella and a collection of short stories.

So what did I learn from writing this series?

1. Work out the overarching plot in advance

My books are adventure thrillers with a dash of romance set in an imaginary country, Roma Nova. The first four follow the adventures of Carina Mitela from when she first arrives in Roma Nova to sixteen years later. She pursues her quests and saves the world as well as herself. But that’s too vague.

Each book has twin functions. Firstly, it should contribute to the overall plot arc of the series. In my own series, Book 1 sets the scene, introduces the world, the ‘rules’ of that world, the main characters and the initial obstacles the heroine must overcome. Book 2 (novella) establishes the heroine in her own adventure. Book 3 throws a major challenge at her, consolidates the story arc and sets the ground for the final reckoning in Book 4.

Secondly, each book must stand on its own as a complete story. A reader may pick up Book 2 or 3 first and while they may be eager to find out what went before and what happened afterwards, they must have a satisfying read from the book they bought. Writers need to drip in enough backstory to bring the new reader up to speed without boring the established fan.

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2. Know your characters in advance

Adding a raft of new characters in each book is tempting. Recycling characters in each book not only helps eliminate ‘character creep’, but is a pleasure for both writer and reader as we see each individual develop his or her own story. However, you do need new people now and again and, however reluctantly, you should kill off one or two or you risk making your world too much like Shangri-La or Pleasantville.

3. Work out big secrets in advance and scatter little ones throughout all the books

As a reader, I like a ‘twist in the tale’ and hints about this should pop up throughout the book. As a writer, I love laying ‘Easter eggs’ in one book that hatch in another in the series. I was lucky that I was able to do this with the original three books as I had written all the first drafts before Book 1 finally went to print. The later novella which slotted in as Book 2 picked up other points that had only been referred to in the original three.

4. Intrigue by revelation over a longer stretch

With a series you have the advantage of being able to reveal backstory and other facets of your characters over a longer span. This needs to be done carefully and not become an excuse for padding. In an epic, saga or high concept story, we all love ‘deep lore from the past’, hidden family secrets or a forbidden passion. Timely revelations also strengthen the interconnectedness of the books.

5. Practicalities

Consistent information on the internal values and culture, governmental, societal and economic structures, geography, history, sources of income, education, food, religion language are essential as is knowing where the power lies. Here come the spreadsheets!

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Maps help you anchor the settings for the whole series. I only use a sketch map of Roma Nova, but I know that Castra Lucilla lies to the south and Aquae Caesaris and Brancadorum are to the west and east respectively.

Another crucial technique is to maintain a list of characters for each book, remembering to update it in the next one as characters change job, get promoted, marry, or move on. A spreadsheet of ages will track who is what age when something happens and prevent character X being older that his mother.

The very worst thing? As a reader, I dislike it when something or somebody pops up like a deus ex machina in a sequel, or directly contradicts something in a previous book, and there has not been the least hint about it. Even if you, as a writer, think up the cleverest idea in the world to parachute in, please don’t do it!

Writing a series can be fun as well as hard work, but very rewarding when you find you have created a new world that will consistently entrance readers.

Alison Morton writes the acclaimed Roma Nova series – “intelligent adventure thrillers with heart.”

She blends her deep love of Roman history with six years’ military service, an MA in history and an insatiable curiosity about what motivates people.

Her six full-length novels have won the BRAG Medallion for independent fiction and AURELIA was a finalist in the 2016 Historical Novel Society Indie Award. SUCCESSIO featured as Editor’s Choice in The Bookseller’s first ever Indie Preview and INCEPTIO and PERFIDITAS were joint runners-up in Writing Magazine’s 2014 Self-Published Book of the Year. A novella, CARINA, and a collection of short stories are recent additions.

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Discuss your book with Publishing Team Assistant Anna Loo

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Setting is Paramount by Jan Turk Petrie

A few years ago, I began putting together ideas for a potential thriller but knew there was something missing. I planned to set the story in the near future but, as this was to be no space opera, I needed to ground the action in a distinctive place.

This is essential for any work of fiction. I chose not to make it a ‘real’ place and yet I wanted the story to be believable even though it including a number of ideas that were a little ‘out there.’

A trip to Iceland with my husband changed everything. I’m a reluctant flier so it takes a lot to get me on a plane but I’d been amazed by a friend’s photographs of the extraordinary landscape and wanted to explore the vast and dramatic interior of the island for myself.

During a brief stay in Reykjavik, we went along to the famous ‘Elf School’ where Magnús Skarphédinsson retold so many fascinating tales of the ‘hidden people’ – the elves and trolls many Icelanders firmly believe in. That night we were shaken in our beds by an earthquake. It made me think about the myths and legends that must arise where alongside such ethereal beauty people live with the possibility of catastrophic disaster.

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thermal pools before reaching our first destination – a stylish hotel improbably converted from a former hostel for workers at the nearby geothermal plant. I learnt the country was about to export this ‘free’ energy and I thought about the potential wealth this will undoubtedly create.

Our next stop was a remote hotel on the Snæfellsnes peninsular. The tiny, isolated church next to it appeared to attract a surprising number of visitors. We later discovered it’s a popular spot for marriage proposals. During our stay there we finally witnessed the famous Northern Lights – our necks ached from watching those eerie, pirouetting beams moving across the starlit sky. We couldn’t leave the area without hiking up to the glacier-topped volcano made famous by Jules Verne’s ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’ Heading further north, we passed fjords and tiny hamlets, waterfalls and many spectacular mountain ranges. Photographing everything, I utterly failed to capture the sheer majesty of it all.

Finally we arrived in Akureyri – which is Iceland’s second city. Akureyri is a pretty town with very few high-rise buildings but nonetheless its location at the head of the Eyjafjörður fjord became the inspiration for Eldísvík – my fictional, far less harmonious, city-state of the future. Based on the wealth of natural energy, the city would naturally attract migrants fleeing the effects of climate change and war. I had found the perfect setting for what turned out to be a trilogy – a truly extraordinary place that soon wove itself into every aspect of my story.

Jan Turk Petrie is the author of The Eldísvík Trilogy – a Nordic noir thriller series set in 2068. You can find out more here: https://www.amazon.com/author/janturkpetrie

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On Plot and Plotting by Robert I. Katz

Years ago, when I was just beginning to write seriously, one of the first books that I read on writing was Writing to Sell, by Scott Meredith, who founded the Scott Meredith Literary Agency, at one time the largest and best known such agency in the world. Before he became an agent, however, Scott Meredith was a writer, and his insights on how to write and how to sell what you’ve written were worth the price of the book. He focused a lot on plot.

To me, the most valuable piece of information in Writing to Sell was the “plot skeleton,” a schema to which all successful stories, and all successful novels, must inevitably conform. To wit: you start with a protagonist for whom the reader can feel sympathy. The protagonist has a problem that he or she must solve. The protagonist’s efforts to solve the problem fail, often making the problem even worse.

Finally, when all seems lost, the protagonist solves the problem—or comes to realize that the problem was not worth solving in the first place. An example of this latter might be a man who is obsessed with making money, but who realizes in the end that what he really needed was the love of his family; or a man who is obsessed with a beautiful but unsuitable woman and who realizes in the end that the girl next door was the one he wanted all along.

Years ago, when I was in college, I happened to be walking along the halls of the English Department when I overheard a professor, a well-known poet in his own right, make a comment to one of his colleagues about the “banality of plot.” The comment bewildered me, but now that I am a writer, I understand what he meant.

Real life has no plot. Things often happen for no reason whatsoever. Real life rarely makes for an entertaining story. Plot is artificial. Plots have to make sense. Real life does not make sense.

After my first novel (Edward Maret: A Novel of the Future) was published in 2001, I began attending science fiction conventions. At one of these, I listened to a panel that was taking questions from the audience. One question was, “What advice would you give the beginning novelist?” Connie Willis had the best answer: “Learn 78

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to plot.”

But why these artificial constraints? Why is the plot skeleton so important? The answer is simple: people like reading about sympathetic characters doing interesting, meaningful and important things (important to themselves, at least, and therefore important to the reader). If you don’t follow the dictates of the plot skeleton, your story will be flaccid, pointless and boring. Nobody will want to read it. The plot skeleton is an organic set of constraints that render a story worth reading. If you think about it, the plot skeleton makes a lot of sense.

There are other rules that make less sense, but are just as real. My second novel, Surgical Risk, was billed as a “medical mystery.” The protagonist is a surgeon. Much of the story takes place in a hospital. My agent at the time received phone calls about the book from Donald Fine Publishing and Warner Books, both asking if the book was still available, but in the end, both declined to make an offer on it. My agent had never before received a phone call from a publisher about a book who did not then offer to publish it. Surgical Risk received two. Both rejected the book for the same reason: a medical mystery, it seems, is supposed to have something “medical” at the center of the plot. Surgical Risk is a mystery that could have taken place anywhere, it just happened to take place in a hospital and have a surgeon as the protagonist.

There is nothing strictly “medical” in the resolution of the plot.

Part of learning to plot involves learning to conform to reader expectations. This can be hard to learn. To many writers, “writing to market” as it is sometimes called, sounds too much like selling out. There is nothing obvious or organic about the structure of a “medical mystery.” The structure of a medical mystery is a convention.

It didn’t have to happen that way, but it did. Surgical Risk, when it was finally published in 2002, received many excellent reviews, but even today, a fair number of reviewers on Amazon say that, “It wasn’t what I expected.”

It helps to know your genre, and it’s a good idea to respect your genre’s conventions.

You’ll sell more books if you can give your readers the sort of story that they want to read.

Robert I. Katz grew up in a suburban neighborhood on Long Island, majored in English at Columbia and then earned an MD at Northwestern University Medical School. Robert is an anesthesiologist, and has spent most of his career in an academic practice at Stony Brook University in New York and then at the University of Florida. In addition to over 40 scientific publications, I write science fiction and mysteries, including the Kurtz and Barent mystery series (Surgical Risk, The Anatomy Lesson, Seizure, The Chairmen, Brighton Beach and the soon to be released, If a Tree Falls) and The Chronicles of the Second Interstellar Empire of Mankind (The Game Players of Meridien, The City of Ashes, The Empire of Dust, The Empire of Ruin and The Well of Time).

Find out more about him here: https://www.robertikatz.com

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Rethinking Book Marketing by Christine Keleny

Book Marketing seems like an elusive beast to most writers. We spend a lot of time and effort learning and honing our writing skills to put together the best book we can and now we’re supposed to get a marketing degree?!

But book marketing doesn’t have to be so complicated.

Dan Blank of WeGrowMedia (a guru of book marketing – wegrowmedia.com) interviewed Ze (Zay) Frank, president of Buzzfeed Motion Pictures (Buzzfeed. com), about connecting with people. Dan’s feeling it is a matter of “collaboration” on a personal level. I think you can use the word “collaboration” in a few different ways, but I took it more as connecting.

With Buzzfeed, Ze works primarily with social media. And get this: Ze says with some of his more viral posts, he doesn’t really know why they went viral. I think that says a lot. Like, maybe we over think this stuff !

Dan goes on to say: But for the 1,000 other things you do to try to develop an audience for your work — articles, events, interviews, blogs, newsletters, social media — don’t assume you know what will work. Experiment and allow others to help you learn what does and doesn’t work to engage them.

That means trying a lot of different things.

I think that is how most of the best marketing works for most authors. It’s not that one post or that one event you go to or that one person you meet, but over 80

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time, it’s all those posts, all those events, all those people you meet who add up to opportunities to share yourself and your stories with others.

Everyone is looking for a quick fix related to marketing their book(s). Think about it – if it existed, don’t you think someone would have found it by now. It takes time and effort, lots of efforts, actually, and missteps (let’s not call it failure – it’s a learning process, right?), but there will be targets hit along the way and lots of fun experiences, too!

What I have found is things I do in person work the best and sometimes lead to things I can’t predict.

Here’s my example: I was recently invited by a librarian to present at an evening talk event her library has a few times a year. I met her at a small town art and craft fair where I was selling my books. Now, this library is probably smaller than 1000 square feet, and this town has a population so small that they can’t get a grocery store to move in where the old one once stood for years. But this innovative librarian has partnered with a small pizza/ice cream shop (Central 52) in town (a big deal for this town) to host evening speakers a few times a year on all kinds of topics. This particular evening I was the guest speaker.

I showed up early, met the owner (a woman), and had an ice cream while I set up my books for display. Six people came out on a cold, wet spring evening to hear me talk about writing and publishing. It was an interactive, intimate group. I made some new acquaintances, had my picture taken with the librarian and her friend, which was posted on the shop website (which I then reposted, of course). I was connected to the daughter of one of the participants who does editing (I’m always looking for proofing help for my clients) and I sold 5 books!

Notice how I incorporated my social media into that event. You can’t do just one thing – only do in person events, only do a website, only do Instagram or twitter or facebook.

You can’t be in one place (online or in person) and expect to reach a lot of people.

Ze says that only 15-17% of views of Buzzfeed content comes from Buzzfeed’s website and the same percent from their other channels: emails, social media… I think that is amazing! A big company like that and that’s how many people come to their site or visit their social media and share their content?!

What does this mean? Same thing, really. You can’t put up a website and decide that is good enough. You need to be in a lot of different places over a long period of time – I think that is key.

Building an audience, building readers and followers takes time.

And remember, some (most?) of the online sharing (or person to person sharing, for that matter), you have no control over. Kind of like reviews: You must ask for them,

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but you can’t make a person give you a review. Ask anyway. Ask in person. Ask by putting a signed note in every book you sell. Ask by putting the request in the back of your book and a link in your ebook.

I’m going to go back for pizza with my husband to Central 52 – that small town shop that I spoke at. The pizza smelled really good and we’re always looking for new pizza places to try. Who would have thought about all the connections I made and possibilities that would come from a library that is no bigger than 1000 square feet in a town that isn’t large enough to have a grocery store.

Maybe that will be the end of it, but maybe it won’t. One never knows.

So keep on keepin’ on! Put yourself out there. Stretch that comfort zone. Meet people! (They’re book readers, how scary can they be?!) Keep your eyes and ears open. Over time you can’t predict how it will pay off, but it will.

Christine is an award-winning author, reader, editor, book designer and publisher. She loves writing and helping others publish the book of their dreams through her publishing company: CKBooks Publishing.

Christine also teaches workshops at local libraries for both youth and adults and a youth writing and publishing summer school class. You can find all of her books at christinekelenybooks.com. That is also where you can sign up for her Readers’ Group.Christine is an award-winning author and indie (hybrid) publisher.

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WRITING AN OFFICIAL READING GUIDE

By Peter Mularney You’ve tried perma-free, without seeing many sales flow through to the other books in your series.

People download your free lead magnet and sign up for your newsletter but don’t buy any of your books unless you offer special discounts or give them away for free.

You’re questioning the wisdom of continuing to pay for Facebook ads to attract people to your list when it seems no-one’s willing to pay full price for your books. ________________________________________ When I was wondering if there was a way to get my work in front of potential readers that wouldn’t cost me a small fortune and would increase the value of the people who joined my list, I came across Rachel Amphlett’s Official Reading Guide.

Rachel was motivated to release an Official Reading Guide after someone else had written a reading guide about her popular crime series and put it up for sale on Amazon. She saw the value of writing her own, and making it available for free across all the platforms that carried her titles.

Caught my attention. I decided to write one.

Unlike Rachel, I write across genres, so I saw the potential for a reading guide to showcase all of my titles and provide potential readers with a pathway to both of my mailing lists within the one book. I also saw an opportunity to drive traffic to my website from people who had discovered the guide with little or no help from me.

An Official Reading Guide is a book catalogue with author insights and extracts from each title listed in the guide. As I also write non-fiction, I included an overview of each non-fiction title and a list of the topics covered in that book. The guide contains links to the landing page for each book to encourage people to buy, and invitations to sign up to each of my mailing lists and download the free lead magnet attached to each list.

Most of the content for the guide came from two sources: the books themselves and blog posts I had written as reading guides for my crime series. The only content I had to generate specifically for the guide was the summary of the topics covered in my non-fiction self-help books and the author insights I wrote for the books I write as a mystic.

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I constructed my Official Reading Guide in Vellum. I opened a new file and copied and pasted the relevant chapters from the Vellum files for each of my titles and then the text of my reading guide blog posts. I imported the cover images for each book and the images I’d decided to share from my non-fiction books. Then, I wrote the content I needed to complete the guide directly in Vellum.

Since the guide was destined to be published across all platforms selling my books, all of the links I inserted direct readers to landing pages on my website or to my email newsletter sign up forms.

Finally, I grouped the chapters into parts to aid navigation between the various types of books I write, imported the cover, and generated the epub and mobi files.

Using Vellum made this a super easy task but you can do it with MS Word or whatever other application you use to generate your book files. The size of your catalogue will determine the size of your reading guide and the amount of time it will take to pull it together.

I’m published wide, so I uploaded the guide to each of the platforms I use and set the price to FREE. Note: this is a two-step process on Amazon, since the lowest price you can set on Amazon is either 0.99 USD or higher depending on the size of your file. Then, you need to contact Amazon through Author Central and ask them to price match.

While I waited for Amazon, I created a landing page for my Official Reading Guide to advise potential readers they could get a copy for free without handing over their email address.

Once I’d published the guide and persuaded Amazon to price match, I emailed my lists and shared the landing page for the guide through social media. And, yes, I turned off the Facebook ads for my newsletter sign up page and set a price for that first-in-series book that had been perma-free.

It’s finding an audience. Only time will tell if it’s a successful approach to marketing.

Peter Mulraney is a crime writing mystic from Adelaide, Australia. He is the author of the Inspector West and Stella Bruno Investigates crime series, the Living Alone and Everyday Business skills self-help series, and several books of reflections and insights as a mystic. You can find out more about Peter on his website www.petermulraney.org where you can check out his Official Reading Guide.

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Short story THE HOT DOG by Ellen Ann Callahan

I first noticed him at a college football game. He was playing Frisbee in a grassy area adjacent to the bleachers. He had glossy, black hair that shined in the sunlight.

After entertaining the crowd with athletic catches, he relaxed with a group of doting college girls. I wanted to meet him. My introverted nature began to harp its usual caution.

Nothing unnerves me more than trying to make small talk. After a few words, I go mute. People don’t appreciate good listeners—they want to be entertained by charming, effervescent people. That’s not me. My shy personality hinders me from going after what my heart wants.

Not this time, I vowed. Today I was going to plow through my fears and approach this handsome stranger. How could I lure his attention from the throng of female admirers? I spotted the concession stand. Hot dogs! I purchased two. I maneuvered through the crowd.

A pretty co-ed blocked my path. “Is he yours?”

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“Of course,” I said, shrugging her off.

When I sat beside him, I warmed to his soft, chestnut eyes.

“I have an extra hot dog,” I said. “Want it?”

He ate it in nothing flat. I laughed from my belly. He didn’t mind when I nicknamed him “Oscar.”

I began talking. For once in my life, the words rolled from my tongue. Oscar listened to every word. Before long, I was touching him while I spoke. He seemed comfortable with the intimacy I had never risked before. When the football game ended, Oscar walked me home. He stayed.

For the next two months, Oscar spoiled me. I no longer had to be the listener; I could gab all I wanted. He paid close attention while I read him my English literature essays and practiced my Power Point presentations. Oscar never criticized or laughed at my mistakes. When I returned from a day of classes, he was thrilled to see me.

Meals were my favorite part of the day. Oscar relished every morsel I prepared.

After dinner we would cuddle on the sofa and watch television. I’d think about how lucky I was that he’d picked me. I grew to love him with all my heart. I knew he loved me. He told me so with his kisses.

No matter what the weather, we took nightly walks in the neighborhood surrounding the campus. Rain, snow, sleet—it didn’t matter. It was fun being together. Except once. He’d left my side to go exploring. Suddenly, two men materialized in front of me. One displayed a knife while the other ordered me silent. My mouth went dry, I couldn’t scream. My legs froze, I couldn’t run. I knotted my fists to fight back.

Oscar appeared. I’d never seen that look in his eyes or heard that tone in his voice.

Dangerous. Fierce. Menacing. I knew he would kill the men to protect me. They knew it, too, and bolted. Afterwards, I fell to my knees. Oscar comforted me while I sobbed out my terror.

Two weeks passed. There was a knock on my door. The day I had been dreading had arrived; Oscar was going to leave. I opened the door with tears in my eyes.

“I’m Steve,” said a man with glossy, black hair. “Are you Sara?”

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Oscar flew through the living room and leaped at Steve, knocking him onto the front stoop. Steve put his arms around Oscar. They rolled around on the stoop while I stared speechless.

“I missed you, buddy,” Steve said between Oscar’s licks and kisses. Oscar’s tail thumped against the railing. Eventually, Oscar allowed Steve to get to his feet and come inside.

Steve shook my hand. “I don’t know how to thank you. Somehow, he got out of my backyard. I’ve been looking all over for him. Then I saw your ad in the paper.”

I swallowed my sorrow. Sometimes doing the right thing is too darned hard.

“What’s his name?” I said, half-choking on the tears caught in my throat.

“Lucky.” Steve wiped his eyes. “You know, he really is a lucky dog. He found you.”

I had to get away. I didn’t want to start bawling. “I’ll go get his things.”

Lucky trailed me into the kitchen. After I gathered his food, toys, and leash, I knelt in front of him and stroked his face.

“I love you,” I whispered. I ended my good-bye with a kiss on Lucky’s forehead.

When I stood, I discovered that Steve was behind me.

“Sara…um…sorry, I’m not very good at this.” Steve’s face turned a slight shade of pink. “Will you have dinner with me?”

“Yes, I’d like that.”

“Great!” he said. His soft, chestnut eyes were dancing. “What kind of food do you like?”

“Hot dogs.”

Ellen Ann Callahan is an author and freelance writer. Her articles and essays have appeared in Maryland Life Magazine, the Washington Post, Washington Family Magazine, and Chicken Soup for the Breast Cancer Survivor’s Soul. She was an adoption attorney until she retired to pursue the writing life. She lives with her husband in Deep Creek, Maryland and now writes crime fiction novels.

Website: https://ellenanncallahan.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EllenAnnCallahan Twitter: https://twitter.com/ECallahanAuthor

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