FriYAY!!!

We made it!!!

I do a lot of giveaways, so on FridYAY, I'm going to be posting all the winners from all the platforms.
With each giveaway, you have ONE week to claim the prize.

Monday Giveaway: Kappes changing cups: JEN SCOTT
Tuesday Recipe: Susan P.
The share photo will continue until release day :)

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

My son, Austin, is in full college mode. Since my husband works out of the home and I'm home working (obviously my work travels), I'm putting the final college visit plans together. We are traveling a few places with over night stays since the lacrosse teams want to "talk" to us and show him around the campus. We are also getting ready for all the lacrosse camps he is doing this summer, starting next week!

What are you doing this weekend?
Let me know in the comments to win a Kappes mystery box!

Be sure to continue to share the photo!

Preorder today!
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1Lizrya
Nook: http://bit.ly/1ByliL6
iBooks:  http://apple.co/1J1QwtO
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1IbEiAg

Author Envy or Jealousy And How NOT To Fall Into It!

This post was originally posted in 2012. Unfortunately I have succumbed to this whole jealousy thing again! It's so sad because as you will read on...things have not changed. The only thing that has changed is the fact I'm considered a Hybrid author; meaning I'm self published and traditionally published. 

The saddest part about this whole jealous things is there are no lines. Jealousy and author envy are higher than ever. . . .enjoy!

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This post was originally posted in January, but lately I have seen a lot of jealousy going on in the indie community and this post got a lot of attention then, so I hope to spread it around again. Please be sure to facebook, tweet, and social media to death this post. 

It's a sad day when a member of the indie community publicly scorns another indie author. It's classless to do these things. I live by the saying "actions speak louder than words." Always take the high road when and indie is blatantly trying to destroy another author, no matter which side is right. 

If you have an issue with another author,  do the right thing and contact them off line to let them know your issues with them. The writing community is very small and it may very well come back one day and bit you in the butt. OR Karma will get you.

"That Susie Q, she's.... God, bless her heart."

This is the southern way to put someone down, but make it sound like you aren't gossiping. How do I know this? I'm southern as can be, and grew up with a lot of these sayings.
Another great lesson you learn when you are southern. . . don't be jealous. It's not a good quality to have and it's the best form of flattery.

JEALOUSY. . .
It's the biggest white elephant among writers. But why?
This is something I've never ever understood. I've always been taught to be happy for everyone and be considerate of other's feelings no matter what journey their life takes them on. After all, it's their story to tell, not mine. But I do encourage and cheer for my fellow author friends. Why? Because it's good moral spirit. It's good to pay it forward, not to mention good Karma!

But why are so many writers/authors jealous or envious of each other?

This writing life is so up and down. And there will always be someone ahead of you and behind you. So why not embrace each other? Who else knows what it's like to be a writer other than another writer?

I go on and on about writing 24/7, telling my husband how much my protagonist wasn't cooperating in a scene. Does he really understand?
No! He pretends he does, as most good husband do, but he doesn't.

This is when we, authors, should be able to talk and share, not be jealous of each other's success. I've been published for one year and have sold over 150k ebooks. I've come across some really GREAT cheerleaders and some really green monsters!

For a bit,  you align yourself with both, especially on line. Then after a while, you begin to get the emails that are a little snarky or the Facebook messages that question why you did something. The real person you have aligned yourself with begins to shine through.

This is where you begin to ask the question about those deep feelings in your stomach as to whether these people are good for you, for your career.

This is when you need to step back, take a deep breath, and remember this is your career, not someone else.
Claim your positive attitude back! Do something nice for another author! Give a deserving author a shout out, a plug, a good review (if you've read their book), truly pay it forward with out expecting anything back. And soon you will be rid of those negative, jealous authors.

You ARE not one of them! You are positive. You pay it forward!
The Absolute Writer has a great article on jealousy in the writing community here.

Besides, jealousy can really zap your mojo and you could be putting all your energy into your writing. Put those emotions into your writing. Make a great scene by digging deep into those feelings, put them on the page and I bet you end up with a great scene!

Patti Hill, author and blogger at Novel Matters has another great article on jealousy.

When to KILL A Character!

When to Kill ... A Character

During my current WIP, I've come to the conclusion that I may have to kill off one of my characters. This truth is something I have struggled with. I've poured hours into building him, researching his qualities, and now it could be that the next chapter is his last. 

Maybe you too are in the same predicament. Are you struggling with whether a character should perish? Before you hit the delete button, there are several things to consider. Here are my 5 tips:

1. Kill off a character to advance the plot. Sometimes for a story to increase in depth and complexity, someone has to die. Death requires an emotional reaction. By inputting  a "kill" or "death" scene into your story, it provides the reader with a better understanding of your surviving characters, especially your hero and heroine.
2. Kill off a character to increase elements of suspense and mystery. No mystery is complete without a dead body appearing. If your character has been well-developed, then your reader can't help but ask "who did it?" This will potentially keep the reader engaged and turning the pages in hopes of solving the mystery.
3. Kill off a character due to writing yourself in a corner. Sometimes when we write and allow the story to naturally develop, it could end up with a character going no where. Instead of trashing those 200 pages, you could kill the character off and still continue your story. This is good when it comes to a major battle scene. Let him play the hero...and go out with a bang.
4. Kill off your character because he is too unlikeable or too bland. If your character is unsalvageable, whereby editing him is still not making him 3- dimensional, and he has no purpose, then kill him off.  There is nothing worse than reading  a story with uninteresting characters. This could potentially make a reader stop reading your book. Don't give your reader a chance to become bored; instead, kill the character and bring new life to your story.
5. Merge the problem character with another character. Often, during rewrites, we notice how some characters are very alike- too much alike. In this case, take the stronger of the two and combine them into one character. Not only will it lower your character count, but it will prove less confusing for your reader.

However, disregard all of the tips above if your story needs for that character, i.e it can't progress without him in story, plot or complexity. If this is the case, then it is a good time to "almost" kill him. What would Harry Potter be if he'd died? And how great of a moment was it, when he lived?

Writing is about bringing imaginary people to life; sharing their stories and conflict. Sometimes that conflict can be all reaching and other times it circles a particular character like flies. By knowing when to rid your manuscript of characters that are weighing it down, you gain a more enjoyable read and a story that keeps the reader wanting more.

What would you add to the list? 

Tina Glasneck is the author of the suspense novel, THOU SHALL NOT, the first book in the /EKS/series. A criminal paralegal by day, she enjoys creating three-dimensional characters and coming up with new ways to kill people. She resides in central Virginia and is always looking for fodder in her everyday life.

If you would like to connect with Tina Glasneck, you can find her all over the web:

Author Blog: http://www.tinaglasneck.com

Blog: http://www.tanglemagazine.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TinaGlasneck

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TinaGlasneck  (username @TinaGlasneck)

Tumblr: http://tina-glasneck-author.tumblr.com/

Google+: https://plus.google.com/100826698946722745057/posts

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I also wanted to give a quick shout-out to Digital Book Today for featuring A CHARMING CRIME! I had not idea and I'm so honored!!! Thank you!!

Tips To Indie Success

Last week I had to pleasure of going to the Lowcountry RWA chapter and speak on how to market and promote your novels effectively.

It was great because most of them are just now seeking the Indie way. As a matter of fact, a couple of them are dropping their publishers (and I mean big six) and going the independent route. Of course I still claim that any road to publication is the right road for you, but I'm a big champion in the indie arena!

Being Indie has made so many dreams come true for me. Including this blog! If it weren't for all of the marketing and promoting techniques I used to make it on Amazon's Movers and Shakers, double finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and winner in the women's fiction category of the eFestival of Words!

I can tell you to buy The Tricked Out Toolbox for all of my tricks, but no matter what I say, there are three BIG tips that bring about INDIE SUCCESS:

1) Successful Indies don't bash other writers! We help them. When we see something other writers are doing that isn't etiquette, we politely and privately email them. If they take the advice, great! If not, no sweat off the successful Indie's back because they tried to help someone.

If that someone comes back with a bitter pill and begins to publicly bash the successful Indie...guess what, that someone looks like a fool! That doesn't promote our craft, our colleagues, or our passion.

2) Successful Indies don't sit on their laurels. They don't wait around to see if their novel is going to be published. They write the book, establish a relationship with their readers (STREET TEAM),  and continue to market their novels.

Successful Indies put their money where their mouth is and laughing all the way to the bank!

3) Successful Indies don't talk about their ideas, they WRITE them! GASP!!! Yes, to be a successful Indie, you have to continue to write, write, and write. Get the next book out there for the reader.
Write in all genres and get those GREAT stories out there!

Now do you want to be successful? GO DO IT!

What do you think is a good tip to Indie success?

One lucky comment will win a copy of my marketing and promoting book, The Tricked Out Toolbox! Be sure to check back on Sunday because I will be announcing the winner Sunday night!

Tips To Pay It Forward To Other Authors

We spend so much time promoting our own novels, we sometimes forget that we have some really great author friends who also have novels they would like promoted.

I'm a big fan of PAYING IT FORWARD. I mean TRULY paying it forward! The kind of paying it forward when you help someone without expecting anything back!

Here are some tips from an AUTHOR'S point of view:

1) AMAZON
Go to your friend's novel and click the like button. The more 'likes' they have, the more visual they become for more readers to find them. Don't ask me how algorithms work...they just do.

If you have read their book and agree with their tags, go ahead and tag them too.

As a reader, you can create a LISTMANIA LIST. Add your favorite authors to it. This helps new readers find new authors, your friend's book! Be sure to TAG and LIKE books that you do like by your author friends. 

2) TWITTER
Give your friends a shout-out or two on the day of their release and be sure to link to their book so it will be easy for your tweets to find.

3) FACEBOOK
On the day of your friend's release, be sure to give them a shout-out on your Facebook pages.

4) BLOGS
If your writer friends have blogs, be sure to follow their blog. It's always fun to share their blogs with their target audience.

Tell me, how do you pay it forward?

Shameless VS Shameful Self Promotion

Confession time!

I LOVE MARKETING AND PROMOTING! I love teaching other writers how to market and promote. What I teach is hopefully the shameless type of self promotion. not SHAMEFUL self promotion.

When we release a book we really want to sell 1,000 copies the first day out, or more. We spend all our time refreshing the page to see if we even sold one or ten within the last time we had refreshed the page. Or as a traditional author, you try not to obsess on checking the stats.

When you don't see the numbers you want. . .PANIC SETS IN!

What do you do? You rush to Twitter and tweet your release a few times, head over to Facebook and update your status (for the tenth time) that your book released that day, you send out mass emails to your writer friends and beg them to promote your book.

STOP!!! Move away from the social-media. Step away from the computer. RETHINK your SHAMELESS self promotion that will effectively help you sell more books!

1) Do you have an opt-in newsletter on your website or blog? I do! And I have over 600 people who have subscribed to it. Creating a newsletter about your new release and sending to your subscribers is a great way to spread the word.

They opted in to receive your news, so they obviously want to know what's going on with your writing career. Do NOT email everyone in your contacts from your email list, only your opt-in list.

2) Do you belong to Facebook groups that allow you to post promotions? Be sure to visit those groups on the day of your release. When you receive a notification that someone left a comment, DO NOT go in right away and comment back a thank you, wait.

Why wait? Because every time you comment on a group page, it brings that update back up to the top of the group page. If you have three comments about your release from others, go in and thank each one, but make sure you thank them an hour apart. This way your release status you posted earlier in the day continues to go to the top of the group page and is visible to the group throughout the day and doesn't get lost.

DO NOT send a group message to your writer friends on Facebook to ask them to spread the word! That's rude and completely SHAMEFUL!

3) Do you belong to any tribes on Triberr? Of course you do! So yes, on the release day you can use your blog to promote your release. When you belong to a tribe on Triberr, your post will automatically go to your tribes where your tribe team will help get the word out. BUT you have to be sure that you are participating and paying it forward on your tribe too.

4) A great way to get the word out about your other novels is to make sure you put a plug in the back of each book. If the reader bought your book, they will be interested in knowing what else you have out there. Or if you have a PR BUDDY that you trust for LIFE, ask them if they would like to promote their novel in the back of your novel and vice-versa.

5) Be sure to watch your Twitter feed throughout your release day. If someone mentions you, be sure to tweet them back and thank them "for mentioning my new release A Charming Cure". The tweet will go in their streams and that is NOT SHAMEFUL self promotion.

By watching your manners, doing SHAMELESS promotion will not only make you stand out from all the other authors out there, you are building on your image of an amazing author with great marketing techniques that work!

Do you have any SHAMELESS promoting tips to add?

Myths of Self-Publishing

Every day I get a a handful of emails that all ask the same thing....

Why did you self-publish? Do you think self-publishing hurt your chances at a traditional career?

The truth: I got my right back from my publisher only four weeks out from my publication date. I freaked because I had planned two book signings, a release party, and told everyone that Carpe Bead 'em was going to be published.

I jumped in feet first, contacted a few self-published authors for some guidance and learned everything I could to get my novel released on the release date that had already been scheduled.

It was the best thing that I ever did for my career. Does that mean that I'm against traditional publishing? Absolutely not. I believe in all roads to publication and doing what is best for your career.

BUT...self-publishing is not for everyone. Some people have to get over the stigma of self-publishing. I really don't care what people think of me. I only care about what my readers think of my books. So if a stigma is holding you back, you should really check that ego at the door and weigh the pros and cons of self-publishing.

There are many pros and cons. But today I wanted to blog about the second question....the myths of self-publishing.

1) If you self-publish your book, a traditional publisher will not pick it up.

Ummm. . .NOT TRUE!
Take a look at Jessica Park's FLAT OUT LOVE. Jessica published FLAT OUT LOVE a year ago. Sold a crap load, got the attention of so many readers, got the buzz and then got picked up by Amazon.
Then you have John Locke, Amanda Hocking, and E.L. James (that 50 book;)), those are just the big names. There are a lot more mid-list self-published authors getting their novels picked up by agents and publishers on a daily basis.

Just like you, they check out those bestsellers list on a daily basis. Trust me, they want to make a dollar too, and their ego doesn't get in the way when they send you an email wanting a little bit of your success.

2) Real readers won't find me because I'm not in TARGET!

Welcome to the twenty-first century, my friend! Have you heard of a little gadget called an EREADER?
They sell those in TARGET and all major bookstores!
Readers don't care who you are published by as long as you give them a good book. TRUST ME! When I say that I did a lot of research before I published Carpe Bead 'em, this was one of those things that I took serious.

Sure I had my writer friends, but readers are my target audience NOT my writer friends. Luckily I had gained a rather nice following of readers by interacting with them before Carpe Bead 'em was published, so I had asked several questions about ereaders and publishers. They couldn't even name who their favorite authors were published with.

So....you have to write a good book that readers will enjoy and they will NEVER think about who the publisher is.

If that's so important to you, you can make up a name and stick it in the 'PUBLISHERS' box when you upload it to each ereader. I just leave it blank because....I don't care if readers know I'm self-published.

3) Self-published authors couldn't make it traditionally so they self-published.

Sigh....Did you read that I GOT MY rights back from my publisher?

Once I self-published, I didn't turn back. I will always self-publish, but I didn't turn back from traditional either. (I do have some traditional irons in the fire, but this is only because I believe in doing everything.)

In some ways, self-published authors are more comfortable in their writing than traditional authors. Self-published authors are not running with the herd, they aren't the sheep. It takes guts to self-publish, and I love confidence!

4) Self-published books suck and are full of mistakes.

I agree that there are a lot of crap books out there, but that includes traditional books too. Granted, a traditional book goes through six months of edits with an editing team. So why can't a self-published book?
It can!

If you are going to self-publish and your name is on that book, you should make sure that you are going to put out the best book out there.

Get an editor that will do edits more than ONCE, hire a great cover artist, get some beta-readers, join a critique group, etc....

5) Self-publishing is expensive and I want to write the book and sit back and get paid.

Self-publishing is not expensive or hard! Once I get my book out, I do sit back and get paid. . .monthly!

Over the years, it's become a lot less expensive to self-publish. It doesn't cost you a penny to upload to the various mediums. The only thing that will cost you is an editor and a cover.
Even print on demand has gotten so easy and inexpensive.

6) Self-published authors don't make money.
**insert cough**

I'll give you one hard fact....
I got a royalty check from my publisher (yes, I still have a couple books with a publisher) from a book I DO NOT EVEN PROMOTE for various reasons and the total was .64 CENTS for a total of 8 (I think it was 8. I know it wasn't more) books! That was a quarter statement.

I sell at least 100 books a day. That blows this myth out of the water! Granted I have ten books self-published, but still you do the math.

I'm not going to get into the logistics of advances and royalties from publishers because those vary, but I can tell you that traditional authors AREN'T getting rich....at least the mid-list ones, which are 90% of the traditional population.

I'm not here to sway you either way. Like I said, I believe in all roads to publication that gets a book in front of a reader. But these are the facts, you have to decide what is best for you and your career.

HELP! Tips For When Your Books Aren't Selling!

It's release day!! You are excited!! You have taken all the necessary steps to make sure you have a successful release day by doing all the guest blogs, advertising, marketing to your target audience, and throwing the best on-line release party you could!

Sales are soaring! Numbers are up! You are on cloud nine.

Fast forward two weeks later....

Your sales have hit the wall. All of your die-hard fans have bought your book and so have your relatives. Now what?

1) Write!
Don't stop writing. No matter what! With each word you write, you get better and better.
Don't let a day go by that you don't write. Write daily! Even if it's only 500 words. You are 500 words closer to getting another novel out there for your waiting public.

If you don't believe me, go and pull out that plastic tub under your bed with manuscripts you wrote when you first started out. Go on. . . I'm waiting. . .now read the first paragraph.
Cringe worthy? You bet! I told you that with every word you've written, you've gotten better!

2) Start marketing and promoting all over again!
Don't roll your eyes. If you aren't selling, you need to go back to your marketing plan and reevaluate it. What worked a couple weeks ago? What didn't work a couple weeks ago?
Your marketing plan is fluid. You will add and delete tools as you release each book. What worked for one book, might not work for another.

Redo what worked for you a couple weeks ago. Was it a guest blog with your target audience? If yes, then you should still be sending your Facebook and Twitter friends to that site.

Do you have any reviews yet? And are they good? Be sure to toot your horn! You are your book's only advocate in the early stages of a release. It's up to you to get the word out.

3) Reviews
Do you have any reviews on Amazon yet? If you do and they are good, make sure you tell your friends to go in and YES the review. These yes's help your book move up in the algorithms to make your book more visible.

Don't forget to pay it forward to your writing buddies! Go in and YES all their reviews that are GREAT!

Be sure to send your Facebook friends and Twitter followers to your good reviews. Let new readers know that your book is GREAT and worth the purchase.

If you know the reviewer, I know mine because most of them are on my STREET TEAM, be sure to put a public thank you note on their Facebook wall! This gives you more exposure to potential new readers.

4) Luck...plain, dumb luck!
I hate to type that, but sometimes that is just what happens....LUCK!
Unfortunately making big sales are often a matter of time and luck. No one knows the real magic to selling books, but every little bit helps.

It takes most writers years to make a great track record in the selling department. So that's why it's important to write, write, and write more.

What do you do when your sales seem to slump?

Go AWAY Summer! I Need To Write!

GO AWAY SUMMER!!

Summer is coming to a close for my kids and I CAN'T BE MORE HAPPY!! Not really happy that I won't be seeing my kids all day, but HAPPY that I'm going to get my writing time back!!

Summer break isn't writer friendly. I know I preach about 'HOW BAD DO YOU WANT SUCCESS," and taking every single free minute to get your writing done. I do that! But it leaves me frazzled nonetheless.

(This was me yesterday in Cincinnati traffic.....stand still! So I edited!!)

But this still doesn't relieve the stress that we all feel when we are being pulled in a million directions when it comes to our families. Not to mention the stress we put on ourselves to put out the next book.

We make our own publishing schedule. Here is the next FIVE months of mine:

August: Release of A CHARMING CURE (second book in the Magical Cures Series)

September: Release of Color Me A Crime (second book in the Olivia Davis Mysteries)

October: Begin the third book in the Magical Cures Series

November: Nanwrimo the novel, POSTCARDS FROM PARIS

December: Release of A SUPERSTITIOUS WEDDING (Grandberry Falls Christmas Ever After short story)

**I'm not even including my novel with agent!**

Umm....

I'm fried!! I'm fried because I'm NO WHERE near my production schedule and I'm a little stressed. Life is going to slow down, way down, in a week. My guys will be going back to school, and I will get back to my writing schedule, along with fixing up my environment.

If you are anything like me, you also need a good MOJO writing environment. Here are some great tips to help get your environment in the grove of writing to help you hit your production schedule.

1) LOCATION

You need to find a great place that helps recharge your creativity and maximum focus on your novel. It could be as simple as your bedroom, coffee shop, library, van (Yes! I use to write in my van!), wherever....just figure that location out and get to work.

This summer I redid my office! Not only do I have doors (yes, I didn't have doors before), I have a new desk and a chalk board wall!! I'm very excited to sit down in my office, not worry about taking kids here and there (which I do love being with my guys), and enjoying my muse talk to me while I start hitting my production schedule.

2) UTENSILS

Now that you have your location, what do you need to help you be productive? 

Laptop? Pen/paper? Research information? Coffee? Chocolate? Candy? Stuffed animal cat?  Red Hots? (ummm....)

We all have our quirky items that we HAVE to have when we are writing. These little comforts make us happy and let our creative juice flow. 

3) Time

Do you have a time of day that you are more productive than others? My prime-time is from 10am-2pm. After 2pm, I'm usually ready for a little nap and some reality TV:) And before 10am, I'm generally doing all of my marketing and promoting. 

So figure out your writing time of the day and get to it!

Does summer throw you off? Do you have a production schedule you stick to?

Them VS Them...Romance Writers of America

There really is no way to dive into this blog post other than just diving in.
It's no secret that over six years ago I started out on a publication journey. A journey that included joining Romance Writers of America, Ohio Valley Romance Writers of America, Chick-lit Romance Writers of America, writing a book, getting an agent, and selling to a publisher for a big six figure deal.....

GUESS THE F**K WHAT. . .

. . .really it's NOT!


Making DECISIONS, and hard ones, are a harsh reality of this business~regardless of your publication journey.

Today I'm going to talk about the Them vs Them. Romance Writers of America Vs themselves.

Six years ago I joined RWA because I had to in order to join the only writers group in Cincinnati, you had to be a member of the national group which happens to be RWA. It was one of the best things I have ever done for myself.

Instantly I was part of a group that understood me. They understood how my comma placement was always wrong or that my run-on sentences did make sense after all. They were a group that showed me the ropes as a newbie in this crazy writing business. AND it was my drive that got me where I am today.

I even sat on the board for a couple of years as well as joined a few RWA online chapters. I sat on the board of the online chapters for two years too! I met a lot of great people, who I still consider my real good friends.

Then RWA does the unthinkable. They refuse to open their eyes and move into the 21st century. Do I sound like some disgruntled author....no. I have done all roads to publication and still believe in them. RWA does not. That is a problem for me.

I have been a long time supporter of RWA, not as a member, but as a big cheerleader for them. I have encouraged countless of new authors to join, give all they have to the group.

I have given RWA two years, 24 months, 731 days, 17, 532 hours, or 1,051,898 minutes (however you want to put it) of my life waiting on them to change. Waiting on them recognize self-published authors in some way.

Don't get me wrong. I know there is a lot of crap out there and writers who put up some written words because anyone can self-publish. BUT what about the real authors? The ones who do turn down contracts with publishing companies? Ones who drop agents? Ones who get their rights back? Ones who travel all roads to publication?

This week I got my renewal in the mail. As if not recognizing my bestselling novels is not good enough, they stick me with a RAISED membership fee. This sent me soaring!

So I had to sit down and make some really big decisions. First off, YOU need to realize that writers are NOT your target audience. I know that YOU are not going to buy my fiction novels. You might buy my non-fiction novel (which I highly recommend) because it is for YOU. It teaches you how to market and promote. This blog is for YOU, the writer, not my readers. My STREET TEAM is for my readers, not YOU!

Why am I pounding this into your head? Because writers think they HAVE to be a member of RWA even if they don't write romance. Why? Because for some great marketing reason, RWA has made writers believe that they are the end-all-be-all of the writing community.

Let's see what I get for $95....
1) Monthly magazine that has a TON of adds for books and articles that I can find online for FREE...hmmm....again....why do writers advertise in this magazine? WRITERS ARE NOT YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE. Dollars wasted!!!!

2) An invitation to their national convention. OH! They teach craft classes!! Shhh....you can take those same exact classes on Savvy Author for HUNDREDS of dollars cheaper.

3) BUT Tonya, I get to meet up with my writer friends. Yes you do. BUT did you also know that you can meet them anytime of the year. You have to plan it.

4) You can get an award. Golden Heart or Rita. What do they get you? NOTHING! I know a gal who has finaled in the Golden Heart four times and still doesn't have an agent....Oh and another girl who enters the Golden Heart every year but changes the title of her manuscript each year. That is sad to me.....BUT my novel, Splitsville.com is a 2012 double finalist in The Next Generation Indie Awards and THREE libraries have already picked up my books through the final! Cool!

5) ...........(I couldn't think of another plus to being a member)

Here I sit, wondering what I was going to do. Was I going to rejoin a national organization that believes that the  $50k I have made in the last eight months really doesn't exist? Or was I going to look at an Indie organization that is really instrumental to my career?

Oh...what about that local RWA group? Yes! I do love each and everyone of them. They have become my friends. Some of them visit my blog from time to time AND I have no doubt they will remain my friends. BUT they are NOT my target audience.

Instead of joining RWA, I'm taking that $95 and investing who my target audience is. You, my blog followers are my target audience for non-fiction, AND my readers are my target audience for my fiction.

This had NOTHING to do with indie vs traditional publishing. This have EVERY thing to do with business decisions. I have several traditional published friends who will not be rejoining as well. Why? Because RWA has nothing to offer.

They have done nothing to change or nothing new to offer their members. When I got my agent, I asked her some really tough questions.

MY QUESTION: Do agents really care that I'm a member of RWA?
AGENT ANSWER: No. If you have a good book, you have a good book. I always tell my agents who I send to those conferences to make sure they take at least a partial of each pitch. 99% of the time we do not offer representation.
MY QUESTION: So if I didn't renew my membership, I'm going to be okay?
AGENT ANSWER: I'd rather you spend time writing.

Hmmm.....

The long and the short of it~my local RWA writing group was the best thing I could've done as a new writer six years ago. That was six years ago. Now you can join so many groups online or even find writing groups in libraries. Times have changed, and it's time RWA does or they are going to keep losing GREAT writers left and write...right!

Tricks to using Goodreads!

As if me telling you that being on Facebook and Twitter isn't enough social media. . .GOODREADS is where you need to be. . .too!

Yes, you still have to be on Facebook and Twitter, but I also want you to start a Goodreads account.

Why?

Good question. You have a blog, website, Facebook and Twitter. You are reaching a lot of people this way, BUT are you reaching your READER target audience?

You know that I'm all about my readers! Goodreads is a place where readers and writers gather!

Think about this....readers join Facebook to connect with their friends, family, and maybe their favorite public figures (which include authors). Their main goal was to find lost people or keep in touch with family by sharing pictures, etc....

When someone joins Goodreads, they are there for the intent to connect by books. THAT is a plus for us! That is exactly what we are looking for.

Go to Goodreads and join. You will need to create an account. This is pretty easy and self explanatory.

NEXT. . .

I highly recommend that you join the Author's Program. You can only do this if you have a published book.
When you enroll into the program, you will be able to search for your book in the search box. If your book doesn't come up, you will need to ADD YOUR BOOK MANUALLY.
Wait. . . you aren't done. You will be asked to verify that you are the author. In the box where you verify, you will need to tell them that you would like to be enrolled in the the author program.

Then you will wait for Goodreads to verify who you are. This could take up to a couple days.

Don't sit on your laurels while you wait for them to get back to you about the author program. You are still a member from when you opened your account, so go to your profile page and beef it up. Be sure to add a profile picture (good one!) and blog site. You want to have all this done so when you do get approved for the author program, you are ready to go.

****IMPORTANT****
When you get approved for the author program, you are going to go back into your profile by clicking on your picture in the right hand corner. Click on edit. You will see a box that asks you to pick a URL user name. Make it simple, easy for people to find you! Mine is : goodreads.com/tonyakappes
Make sure you click save at the bottom of the page.

Now it's time to start building your "friends" list. Now some of my friends are carry over from Facebook and Twitter, while some are readers who happen to find me on Goodreads. Plus there is you! My blog followers.

Why blog followers? So glad you asked!!

You will need to put your blog RSS or Atom URL on your page. This will post your current blog posts on your Goodread page and you will reach more blog followers and that is NOT a bad thing.

How do you figure out the RSS or Atom URL of your blog? Here are a few simple steps that I took from the Blogger and Wordpress websites:

1. Go to your blog
2. On Blogger, scroll all the way down to the bottom and look for ‘Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)’
3. On WordPress, look to the right of the posts for ‘RSS – Posts’
4. Right-click on that link
5. Left-Click on Copy Link Address
6. Go to Goodreads
7. Click your name in the upper right corner to go to your author profile
8. Click edit profile
9. Under your picture, click add/edit blog
10. On the right side look for External blog feed URL
11. Click ‘change’ if the URL field isn’t showing
12. Right-Click in the space
13. Left-Click ‘paste
14. Your URL should now show up and look something like this: http://tonyakappes.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
15. Click the add feed button

SHEW! Did that wear you out??

There are over 5 million people on Goodreads. I can guarantee that there are a lot of readers that read your genre, that would LOVE to connect with you.

Now that you are well on your way. . .I think this is enough for one blog post. Stay tuned for Wednesday when I tell you tips on how to connect with some of the 5 million friends!

OH!! Friday we have a special guest explaining everything you need to know about TRIBBER!!! 

PAINLESS EDITING!

As I'm sitting on the beach this week....YES! I'm at the beach!

But I'm in my most least favorite part of the publishing book process. . . EDITING! It's the second book in A Magical Cure Series, A Charming Cure. And if you don't write mystery, you should know that I write my mystery novels backwards.


And my editor would be more happy to tell you that she has to go over my work at least twice!

I have come up with some great tips to help me and YOU get us through the editing process with a little more with ease.

1) Take your time.

I know that we have our muse and want to start writing on the next project, but if you don't slow down and take your time, your novel will suffer by not becoming the best novel it can be.

An easy way to do this, and what I have done while I'm at the beach, is to break my finished novel into four parts. Literally, I take the page count and divide it by four.

This helps me work on one section at a time and not temp myself to work ahead. I'm a tad bit lazy in this editing department and anything I can do to get through it I do. Breaking it up doesn't seem so daunting.

2) Don't worry with the meat of the bones on your first round of edits. Make sure that you have the story down. Make sure the story is going exactly where you wanted it to go. Don't worry about the dialogue tags, or the description at this point. I'm sure you have most of that in there, but we are just looking at the story structure of the novel.

3) If you are further into your editing process, change the font on your computer. We have a tendency to know our novel so well that we can skip through it as if you were skipping through a meadow of flowers on the most perfect day. Nothing jumps out. BUT if you edit in a different font than you are use to, things have a tendency to stick out a little more.

4) When you are in your final draft of editing, send it to one of your readers! I have two GREAT readers that I trust with my novels. I have met only one of them in person and the other I have not. I trust them completely with my genre. They are avid readers. When they tell me something is off, or a character hasn't developed enough for them, I listen.

Do you have any editing tips that will help us like the process a little more?

Breaking Writing Rules and RULING the WORLD!

Have you heard:
1) You can't write that.
2) That will never sell.
3) What genre does that fit into?
4) It's not a paranormal, no one will buy it!
5) Chick-lit is DEAD!

Alright! Put your hands down. We all have. But have we all listened?

HELL NO! We are writers and most of us here are self-published because we heard that our work is good, but has been rejected in one way or another. I had heard for many years "chick lit is dead" or "don't tell them it's chick lit. Call it women's fiction."

Hmmm....

I would call that a BIG OLE LIE!!! And that is ONE thing I DO NOT DO!

Sometimes we have to go beyond the fear of what others think  and write what we want to write. Why are we listening to people industry "professionals" that have NO CLUE what readers want? Have you ever had a gut feeling to write something and you thought that you couldn't because it doesn't fit the industry model?

Most of you know me as a mystery writer, but truth be told, I'm a chick-lit writer! YES! I just admitted that I'm a CHICK-LIT WRITER!!

My first novel, Carpe Bead 'em, was written as a chick-lit. I told everyone and anyone who would listen that I was writing a chick-lit novel. To my surprise, I heard chick-lit was DEAD. Not just dead, but road kill that had been ran over so many times that no one recognized what it was and vomited at the sight of it.

I decided that I wasn't going to listen to them. I was going to blaze my own path and write the best damn chick-lit novel I could. And guess what? I did!

Carpe Bead 'em ended up going to the TOP! It made Amazon's Movers and Shakers list #1 and stayed there for three days, it is on three best seller lists, as well as made it in the top 100 Amazon paid list.

Look at the cover...come on! It screams chick-lit. It has a pink poodle, high-heeled shoes, and jewelry ~ for crying out loud! What if I had listened to them? What if I didn't break the "rule?"

I knew there was an audience for my chick-lit out there. So I got in touch with writer pal, Jessica Park (through my friend and writer pal Heather Webber) and used her editor and got some ideas from her. It was priceless. She truly payed it forward to me.

So I YELL: it's time to beat the fear!

Listen to your gut. Write outside that genre guidelines. Make up your own genre. As a matter of fact, I write the BEST chick-lit cozy mysteries and they sell! Go figure....

Another way to write fearless is twist your plot even more. Just when your reader think they have figured out your plot, step up your game by putting an extra twist in it. This may sound crazy, but your readers will love you for this. They will be hooked and think "Wow! I've never seen an author do that and it's GREAT!"

What if Jessica Park had listened to the naysayers? If you haven't read her inspiring LOVE LETTER TO AMAZON, READ IT! She wrote past the fear of not fitting in the genre rules and her novel FLAT OUT LOVE is ruling Amazon! As a matter of fact, she has been picked up for one of their imprints and they featured Flat Out Love on the front page of Amazon!

It can happen to you! Write what you want and forget the fear of what you hear and RULE THE WORLD!!

Blogging doesn't make you money....SAY WHAT???

Sometimes I come across some really GREAT people that make really IGNORANT comments. It cracks me up because most of the time, these people have no clue what they are talking about...and in that case, they really should keep their mouth closed.

Am I ranting? No. I'm actually chuckling inside, because these comments give me GREAT ideas to blog.

I'm not going to tell you the participants in this story, but I think it's really important for you to know the outcome....

I had suggested to a TRADITIONALLY published author that they should start a blog using their new book as the theme. IT'S A GREAT IDEA!!

I got a sweet smile, laughed at, and then..."blogging doesn't make you money."

I didn't rant, or go off, I simply got a pen out of my purse and wrote GREAT BLOG TOPIC on the palm of my hand. I did NOT want to forget the feeling I was having when those words left the mouth of that author.

I was almost giddy! Excited in fact! Little does that author know....

So this brings me to what I think is going to be a GREAT topic. WHY BLOGGING IS CRITICAL TO MAKING YOU MONEY!

1) Forces you to think about a target audience. Isn't this what helps sell our books??? Selling books=money...right?

If you target your audience (this blog targets writers and how to help them-readers probably AREN'T reading this blog), and promote it as the targeted blog, you will gain readers. The author who prompted me to write this blog, has a VERY targeted theme that would appeal to a VERY targeted audience that will lead to many sells...

For instance, if you write paranormal, you would do some great blogs posts on haunted houses, paranormal activities, talk about paranormal shows....etc....you get the point. You are building that target audience.

2) Forces you to write.
We have to write in order to get a book out. Blogging helps you stay focused and write! It helps you hone your voice. You can experiment with what works best for you and see the results from the traffic you get and  comments you will receive.

Blogging helps you explore topics that forces you to research topics, which in turn makes you more knowledgeable. AND that could spark more ideas for writing. Writing=money!

3) Makes you more visible. (blog forums)
I use my blog to promote my novels. Regardless this is for writers, I post on all forums. When I post a blog, I go to the Kindle forums, Nook forums, writer forums and post the blog topic with the URL. This leads to a lot of page views and believe it or not...usually a couple books sold!

The forums have my books in my tag lines and I hear from the reader how much they liked my blog and book covers so they bought "such and such book." THAT'S MONEY....RIGHT?

4) Creates a following.
A following is what all authors want! WE love to have readers, regardless of where they come from.


5) Leads to appearances.
This blog has given me a great platform to teach workshops. I've been teaching workshops for over three years. During this time, I have met some GREAT people in the writing community. I teach at conventions where I meet readers and writers. The readers want my books, the writers want any advice I can give them.

Blogging has also given me the opportunity to participate in book clubs! The book clubs read one of my books, and they love to bring up how I come up with characters, their development, the process. With out blogging about it here, I'd have a really hard time answering those questions.

Don't listen to ignorant statements. Don't miss out on opportunities to find an audience. Hey...Donald Trump blogs! Do you think he'd waste his time if he wasn't making money???

Blogging is like the NEW BLACK for authors. Well...maybe black doesn't look good on everyone, but it is my favorite color!

From An Editor to An Author

Please welcome editor Judy Beatty!!

Tonya asked me to write a blog on editing, and I’ve been mulling around what I want to tell you over and over in my mind for days now.   I have finally zeroed in on some things that I feel are important to the editor, and for the author.

In editing a manuscript, there can be a tendency to “want” to forget that the author has his or her own voice, and change sentences into how we as editors would say it if we had written it.  This is where we can make or break trust in the person we are editing for.  It’s common to try and change sentences around to our liking, but once the author’s voice is revealed, we must edit in their way of thinking, and not ours.  I had one lovely author recently tell me that she sees my grammatically correct sentences and says “Grammatically correct? What’s that?”  Also, I edited a book for an author that had characters speaking the worst English I have ever heard, but that is the way he wanted it, and that is the way I had to learn to edit his book.  Now I am highly aware and try to find the pattern and rhythm  in each authors writing, and once I do that, I can easily edit without changing their voice.

Punctuation tends to be an issue in every manuscript I edit.   Commas are by far the most overused punctuation on the planet.  Quotation marks inside or outside of the period/exclamation point/comma are another issue.  I find this rule handy: If in Britain, put the quotes outside of the punctuation, and if in America, put them inside.  Since most of us are in America, writing to Americans, then I try to keep what our readers are used to seeing prevalent.  If any of you are writing to a British audience, please tell your editor so they can edit accordingly (I say with tongue in cheek).

It helps, also, to have a wonderful daughter who teaches high-school English for a living.  AHEM…YES, I do write her occasionally when I get stumped and ask for her opinion, and thank God, she is so quick to help me.

I love working with already published writers, but am sad to say that so many manuscripts are getting edited (even [especially] by major publishing companies) and leaving so much to be desired; and you, the author, have probably paid through-the-nose to have them edited, but they are still so full of errors and have been published that way.  Since I do a lot of re-editing for authors who are already published, I feel deeply sorry for them and want to do everything in my power to make their manuscripts as clean as possible. When I read a book for fun, and it is full of errors, I tend to cringe and put it down.  Actually, that is how I got started in editing.  I read a series by a well-known author, and found so many mistakes that I wrote her and asked if she would like for me to fix them.  She sent me her manuscripts and I was on my way with a new career.

New writers are fun to edit, and a bit more time-consuming, because they are just finding their voice and a good editor can help them find it if he or she is willing to take the time to discuss issues with the writer.  It’s great fun to watch new writers evolve, and see each new book come to life with more of “them” in it.

My final thought is, no matter if you are an already published author, or if you are just starting out –edits will need to be done; sometimes over and over again, until the manuscript is so squeaky clean you can see your face in it.  I do look forward to working with many of you, and will continue to enjoy reading your works, and editing to my heart’s content.  

Until then, “Happy Writing”.

Judy is giving away a one time free editorial service to one lucky comment today!!!!

Tips to Edit Your Own Work

We all live in edit hell! Even if you claim you love it, you know you don't (shaking finger at you)! Unfortunately, editing skills separates a mediocre writer from a great writer in the self-publishing world. (Little secret: even traditionally published writers have to have extensive editing from their editors. NO ONE turns in a perfect book.)

I have never claimed to be a perfect writer. FAR FROM IT!! Over the past few years I have learned a few tips that help me self edit my books before I get them to my editor. I have to have an editor. It's only good business practice, but here are some ideas to help you along the way.

1. Just write!

Don't edit while you are writing. Get the words on the page and let your creative juices flow. If you worry about editing, you are going to get stumped and not get in your word count or ideas down.

If there is a blatant typo, yes change it. Don't go back and fix grammar, punctuation, etc....

2. Step away.

After you finish your novel, it's a good idea to step away for a couple days and let your mind have some down time.  Use this time to read. Writers should read, read, read, and this would be a great time for that. Let your mind escape from your characters.

After a couple days go back and read your novel. You will be able to look at it with fresh eyes and catch some of those simple mistakes. Plus stepping away will give you fresh ideas and see plot holes. This is a good time to help layer your story-line.

3. Kindle it!

I use the word Kindle as the universal reader but I also mean any ereading device, this includes your phone or your PC. I always send my novel to the ereader before I send it to my editor and before I publish it, I send it to my ereader.

It's easier to spot mistakes on a different device. Plus I want to see exactly what it will look like when my readers will buy my book. More times than not I catch too short/long paragraphs for an ereader or formatting mistakes that need to be fix.

4. Cut Unnecessary words!

I use a lot of but, exclamation points, and goofy words on my blog. It's a place for me to just write and help authors. I really should take the time to write the blog, edit it and take my own advice. BUT this is where I get my words out and let my creative juices flow and I don't cut out the unnecessary words.

Don't do this with your manuscript! Cut out the repeating words, phrases, unnecessary adjectives (Lisa spoke loudly....Lisa screamed).

5. Use spell check!!

Spell check doesn't always catch the true editing issues, but it doesn't hurt to run it a couple times before you send it to your editor or before you publish. It's another set of eyes to get you to look at some issues that you might not have caught before hand. Missing words and homophones are not found using spell check, but it will help with the general, easy mistakes that easy for your eyes to miss.

6. Read your story out loud.

Reading out loud will help your trained ear hear the missing words or world flow. This is one of the strongest editing tips you can do to catch those missing words. Read each word carefully, slowly. We know our manuscripts so well that sometimes we can skip over the words, so take your time and truly read it like a readers!

7. Send it off!

Enough is enough. Once you think you have edited until your eyes and fingers have had enough, you've had enough and so has your manuscript. It's time to send it to the editor or publish it. Let it fly on its own!


Side note: It's taken me years and over three editors to find a perfect fit for me. If you go look at any of my reviews, you will find several reviews that claim my books have editorial issues. AND THEY DO....luckily, I just had all of them re-edited by my fabulous editor, Judy Beatty!! She is doing a guest post on Monday!! AND giving away a free edit! Be sure to stop by!

Do you have any tips for our writing community about editing?

BTW....If you get a chance pop over to Book Tour Radio! I'm being featured today! FUN!!

FIVE Things A Writer Should and Shouldn't Do NOW!

I'm not saying that I know a lot about anything, but I can say that I do know a lot about what has and hasn't worked for me in this writing gig.

I decided five years ago that I was going to give my writing career a big ole kick in the butt and get it done. I traveled every road possible to make it to publication which finally happened one year ago with my debut release Carpe Bead 'em. Granted, I started marketing my career FIVE years ago and I have come across some things that a writer should do and shouldn't do.

THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T DO NOW: (let's get these over with since they are the most painful)

1. Stop quitting!
There is nothing more annoying than a quitter. This is why my post HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT is the most powerful post on this blog to date. If you are a writer, you are going to have to keep going because your novel is NEVER going to finish itself.

2. Stop treating your body bad!!
Keeping your body healthy is crucial to your writing career. Eating well and exercising will keep your mind healthy. It will help you focus and keep your creative juices flowing.

3. Stop writing what you hear is going to sale!
How many times have you heard that vampires are HOT and only being sold? If you don't write true to your heart, you aren't going to write the best story for you and your heart will not be in it. Forget about marketing something that isn't close to your heart.

4. Stop dreaming and start doing!!
I'm not saying to stop following your dream, I'm telling you to start taking the steps to make that dream possible. I want to be published every possible way. That means self-publishing and traditional. While I'm working on my traditional publishing endeavors, I'm continuing on my self-publishing career. It's a great time to be a writer! Make it happen!

5. Stop worrying!
Worrying has never gotten anyone anywhere! It gives you wrinkles! Don't worry about what other writers are doing. Don't worry about the mistakes you are afraid to make. Make them! LEARN! Don't worry about the market. Don't worry about self-publishing stigma. Don't worry!! It takes all the creative flow out of you!

THINGS YOU SHOULD BE DOING NOW:

1. Recognize that you are a writer!
The more serious you take yourself the more writing you will get done.

2. Read more!
The more you read, the better your writing will get. Read outside of your comfort zone or genre. It's fun to see how different dialogue tags are used or character descriptions are different across the board. You'll be surprised at how much you will learn.

3. Give back to others!
There is nothing more rewarding than giving back without expecting anything in return. It does wonders for your creative flow. There are many simple things you can to do give back and most of them are free!!

4. Work hard!
Okay. . .well I said quitting was the most annoying thing a writer can do....well I lied! Being LAZY is the worst! I can't stand someone who tells me they are a writer and they write a couple pages a month. THAT IS NOT A WRITER!!!! This is a job. It needs to be treated as such. And there isn't a job out there that has survived with a boss who is lazy. Write! Write! WRITE!!!!

5.  Just do it!
Nike has it right! It's that simple.

I could have written at least twenty in each category, but I'm curious. . .what do you think a writer should start doing TODAY and STOP doing today?

Many Hats Of Self Publishing

Ahh. . .did the title catch your attention?

As a self published author we wear many hats from writer, editor, copy-editor, typeset, plot-editor, lay-out designer, graphic designer, etc..AND we do it alone. (most of the time)

WRITER:
Without being the writer, you will not be able to move forward on your dream of publishing. You must focus and write every day. It doesn't have to be a mountain of words, but it must be a few in order to get those words on a page and tell your story.

EDITOR:
So you might have a great final editor, but what about the journey to getting it to that final editor. After the first draft, you have to go back and re-edit what you just completed. AND then again, and again until you are positively sure it's ready to go to your editor. THEN the editor will send you edits back. IF you have a wonderful editor like me, JUDY BEATTY, your editor will look over those edits to make sure you got them all or that they got them all.

DESIGN ARTIST:
What? You mean to tell me there is NO cover fairy?? HELL NO!! You have to put on your designer hat and either hire someone that can transform your ideas into a great cover OR try your handy work on your own. I use Laura Morrigan for all my covers. BUT I have the idea in my head and will relate those to her and maybe give her a picture or two to let her know what I'm thinking. Then we collaborate as a team to come up with the best cover! And she makes a home-run every single time.

(A CHARMING CRIME June 12)

FORMAT QUEEN/KING:

Oh, yeah! If you are going to be doing your own formatting, you will need to learn the in's and out's of each on-line ebook distributor. Some take epub while others take the word document. And it's up to you to figure that out. UNLESS you want to spend lots of cashola to pay someone to do it. AND trust me, if I can do it, so can you!!!

ACCOUNTANT:

I know. . .I'm NOT great with money, but I do know that you have to factor in all the above when self-publishing into your budget. You might not be paying for an editor (which out of all of this I HIGHLY recommend), or a cover artists, but you will have expenses. Whether it's formatting software, the latest graphic program or just the coffee that is going to keep you sane through it all...you will spend some money. So make sure you budget before you start down this journey of self-publication.

MARKETER:

Hahahahaaa!!! Did you honestly think that with that cute cover and big ole confidence ego I have is going to get my name and book out there??? TEEEE HEEEEE!! HELL NO!! Can I get a collective HELL NO from the audience???

This might just be the biggest hat of all that you wear.You will need to market and promote not only your book, but yourself from the time you write CHAPTER ONE until you die. This hat might not look that great on you, or might not fit just perfect, but you have to wear it. LET ME STATE THAT AGAIN. . . YOU. HAVE. TO. WEAR. IT!!!! (if you want tips on how to be a marketing machine. . .read through my blog posts....)

WAREHOUSE WORKER:

I know you don't work for Amazon and I know that you don't like heavy lifting. I don't even like lifting my butt out of my chair. BUT you have to get the author swag or your print book out to people. You have to do this! (I know that Createspace and others will physically print and ship your book) If you want a career as close to a traditional published book as possible, you are going to have to buy some of your books and host your own book signing. OR do give aways or have one for yourself....

BUSINESS MANAGER:

What, you don't have an agent?????? YOU ARE YOUR AGENT! Even if you get an agent, you have to be the captain of your ship. You know better than anyone and I mean ANYONE what you want from your career.

Self-publishing is NOT an easy job. But if you keep a positive attitude and occasionally laugh you will be just fine:)

Today, I'm going to wear my writing hat! 

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!