PROMOTING? GROW FLOWERS THAT BLOOM

Promotion is on the minds of many writers in todays market place. Over and over we're told that we have to do our own promotion. When this is mentioned in our large critique group we hear a lot of groans. But you know what, those who are groaning nowadays are those who are working on getting their first book published. If we're smart, we who've been in the business a while have stepped into Online Promotion already.

Well, guess what? If you're working on being a serious writer, you'd better already be serious about building that platform while you try to get your work published. Promoting online is no longer just for the nonfiction writer, and it's certainly not only just for someone with two or three books out there.

Getting ready to upload to Kindle? Nook? iPub? Recently I received an email from a close friend in the business for quite a while who had uploaded her first book to Kindle. She wanted to know how to check her sales. I told her, and it wasn't but a few minutes till she wrote back and said no copies of her book had sold.

The latest figures on books published to Ebooks weekly I believe was around 65,000 per week. Well, without promotion, we're not going to stand out in that field. We'll be amidst the tiniest weeds overshdowed by the tall brilliant sunflowers, the midsized wild larkspur and even the ground hugging but blooming clover. Everyone who blooms in the field of Epublishing has a better chance than those who are withered and dried.

I tell writers, pick three or four social media sites to begin with. Concentrate on becoming a blooming flower on them. What does a blooming flower do? It gives of itself, shares its beauty, its sweet fragrance. It doesn't overpower everyone with too much leaf flapping, or swaying so widely it knocks over other beautiful blossoms. It doesn't send out roots that steal water and nurturing from others. Shares is the critical word here.

When a friend posts something interesting on Twitter or FB, Retweet or Like and comment, Share on your own site when you can. Go to blogs aimed at those who might read your book, then comment nicely and share the link with others. Do Not comment about your book. What you are doing is making a name for yourself, and to do that you must be kind, considerate and soft-spoken. No shouting Look At Me everywhere you post. Do good and good you will receive.

To be invited to be interviewed or reviewed, let your kindness be known. Let your expertise in certain subjects related to what you write be known. Build this kind of platform, and the reviewers and intervewers and bloggers will come.

CONFERENCING TO SELL

Attending the OWFI Conference this year was so enjoyable. After so many years, it's like old home week, seeing and visiting with friends I only see once a year. Everything was organized so well, thanks to the president, Linda Apple. She did a fabulous job of seeing that everything went off without a hitch. Thanks also to all the volunteers who helped out. The pitches were so well organized by Jan Morrill and she did have lots of help from so many others.

I also enjoyed shepherding one of my publishers, Mark Stepp. What a lot of fun that was. We were able to get acquainted. Had only met once very briefly when I pitched to him and he took on the publication of my book, The Boston Mountains: Lost in the Ozarks, which came out in 2010. Recently he moved from Houston to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and we're glad to have him and Old American Publishing closer to us here in Arkansas. Isn't it wonderful how many small publishers are taking up the slack in book buying? Indies are cropping up everywhere, it seems. If you, as a writer, haven't considered this opportunity to get your work published, check it out. You'll be happy you did.

Back to OWFI. All in all, this was one of my most enjoyable experiences with writers' conferences since I started attending them back in ...  uh, well, let's not get into that. Makes me feel too old.

Now we're all looking forward to another super conference, Ozark Creative Writers in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in October. I'm the contest chair for that one this year and will strive to do a good job there. Contact me for information. The website is under new construction.

Keep in mind how important networking is to writers. Not only to schmooze with other writers, but with presenters, editors, and agents who take the time to attend these conferences and help you with your career. Pitching books face to face often leads to sales of your work much quicker and easier than emailing or mailing out queries.

So look around and schedule at least one conference where editors and agents who might be interested in your book, novel or other project, will be open to pitches. See you at a conference somewhere soon.

CLEARING UP MALWARE
Good morning fellow writers. I know it's confusing to know where I'll appear next. It seems the problems I have been experiencing with this blog are clearing up. After posting a link to a popular writing site, it became infested with malware and so my blog was frozen while messages went out to the site to clean it up. They must have done so because my site seems to be back where I can post, edit blogs, add stuff. We'll see how it goes. Still wonky and hesitant to come up sometimes.
I'm not sure about sharing links, which we all do on our sites. We're told by the experts that sharing links we've found to be helpful is a good way to become more likable online, but when something like this happens it makes me wary of doing so. The site I shared is very popular, and since I was infested with malware earlier and had to clean up my computer using CCleaner, a great way to do so, by the way, I supposed I got it from my visit to that site. No, this popular cleaner doesn't  pay me to say that. It's just a great program to quickly clear up any computer problems that your virus scanner doesn't catch.
How do you know you have malware? Well, I realized it when my computer first began to stutter and refuse to follow my instructions. You know, like open my email, allow me to go to familiar sites like blogger, facebook and the like. The screen would flash on and off, the mouse wouldn't work. Once these things begin you know you've caught something. I ran my virus scanner first. It found nothing, which I understand isn't unusual with malware. Then I remembered CCleaner, opened it up and it cleaned the computer up in about five to ten minutes.
So if you suspect malware try something like that. I understand there are other programs that will clean it up. I just happened to have this one on board, so to speak.
I'm still having a bit of a problem with my tool bar here on blogger. It's covering the top where the title and publish button reside. That's why you'll see my title in the body of this post. I'm going to try to solve that soon.
EBOOK AND KINDLE WRITERS: Have you remembered to use Author Central and Shelfari to help promote your books? Amazon supplies these two sites for its Kindle writers and you need to take advantage of them. I understand that readers go there to learn more about our books before they make a decision to buy. Fill in all the information you can. Make sure you reveal just enough about your book(s) to hook the readers in such a way they can't resist hitting the buy button.
Also ask readers to add a review on Amazon if they like your book. Reviews can be short and sweet and won't take much of their time.
I have all six of my back-list books up now, thanks to some cover help from my friends. The prequel, Spurs, Saddles & Sass,  has short stories about my characters prior to the books opening. It also contains a sensual excerpt from each to prove they are romances as well as historical fiction. This book will go FREE Thursday, April 26 for five days. This is my first try at offering a book free. Somehow, it goes against my grain to give away novels I've devoted up to two years of my time to research, write, revise, rewrite, edit, etc. So instead I'm trying this. We'll see how it works.
Covers will appear on my blog shortly.
Here's a link to all my Kindle offerings to date.

I'm having problems with this blog and have moved to a new one in case it continues. A Writer's Muse is here at Blogger. Since I have so many followers on this one, I hope you'll move over to the other one. Everything here will remain here, and hopefully I can post this so all of you can find the new blog. It's address is veldaelizabethb. Come see me there.

GHOSTS GUIDE THIS WRITER

I'm visiting today with Ruth Burkett Weeks aka RH Burkett, who is not only a tarot card reader and public speaker but an award winning author as well with short stories in several anthologies and a list of impressive contest wins. Her first novel, Soldiers From the Mist, was released by High Hill Press in March 2011 and is available on Amazon.com  Her second novel, a paranormal romance entitled, The Rook and the Raven, was released from the Wild Rose Press as an e-book early this year. She is currently working on her third novel, The Legend of Dixie Dandelion. She is a member of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pens, Ozarks Writers League and the Northwest Arkansas Writers Workshop.

Ruth, it's a pleasure to have you here today to visit with me. I know you have a full time job as well as being very involved in your writing career. Did you always want to be a writer, or did something push you in that direction?

A: I wrote poems and essays in English class which I enjoyed and was quite good at, but I never consciously thought I would become a writer. When I was ten, I told Mama someday I would write a real book, then life got in the way and I never gave that prediction a second thought. Forty years later, however, that prophecy came true because of a ghost that haunted my house. I owe that ghost a lot.

Yes, I understand that you had some vivid experiences prior to writing Soldiers in the Mist. Tell us about them.

A: A psychic friend came to visit and while we were talking she told me a Confederate soldier was standing in my back yard. Since I was used to her “seeing dead people” and because I didn’t live too far from the Pea Ridge Battlefield, this news didn’t surprise me. However when she told me his name was Charles Ely, I about fell off my chair. Grandma’s maiden name was Ely and she had a brother, Charles. My friend knew nothing of my family tree so I knew this was no coincidence. Charlie was trapped between worlds and unable to cross-over because of a promise he’d made over 150 years ago. He’d waited for me, his distant cousin, to move to the area so that I could tell his story and set him free.Thus Soldiers From the Mist was born. Upon great advice from the members of my critique group, The Northwest Arkansas Writer’s Workshop, I included the actual happenings and conversations I experienced with Charlie in the book, and called them Whisperings. Working with Charlie gave a whole new meaning to the term, ghost writer.

 Those of us who have had "haunting" experiences know exactly how this made you feel. It appears that you were chosen by Charlie. Do you have a theory as to why you've been chosen to write the books you write?
A:  I love this question. Have you ever written a paragraph or sentence then sat back and said, “Wow.  Where did that come from?” Pay attention to the voices in your head. Spirits are great story tellers.  While I’m not a religious person, I am spiritual. I strongly believe in life-after-death and the presence of loved ones and others that have passed. The veil between their world and ours is onion-skin thin, however very few people can see or hear them, or if they do, they dismiss it as imagination. These souls know I hear them. Consequently, when they have a story to tell, they seek me out. I’m honored that they do.  

That's amazing that you are so open. And another amazing thing is that you were able to find a publisher who appreciated where you were coming from. You have found two indie publishers for your work. Do you prefer working with small independent publishers or have you considered publishing your own work as E books?
A: I don’t have the time to devote to learning and publishing my own E-books at this time, and why should I? I’m fortunate to have two wonderful small, independent publishers, The Wild Rose Press and High Hill Press. I’m sticking with a good thing.

Can't say as I blame you. No matter what publisher we snag, it's necessary to do much of our own promotion. How do you feel about social media and creating a platform? How important is this to you?

A: Social media makes my head hurt and I’m not 100% sure what a platform is. Since everyone and their cats are telling me how important these things are, however, I’m out there trying to learn it. Do I think it’s important? Time will tell.

One last question. If you had a choice, what would you do: travel, meet Stephen King, write a best seller?

A:  Write a best seller which would allow me to travel and meet Stephen King.

Tell us what you're working on now.

A: I'm working on another romance, The Legend of Dixie Dandelion, The Beginning. Dixie is a rootin', tootin' cowgirl who tries to tame the west along with the love of her life, Pinkerton Detective, Jackson McCullough.

Please share an excerpt from one of your books and covers of both. From the Rook and The Raven:

Excerpt from The Rook and the Raven

A figure stood tall and wickedly dark by the moonstruck water.
Moonlight broke from the clouds and bathed his chiseled profile in sensuous light.
My breath caught.
To say he was handsome would be an injustice. To compare him to a Greek God, an insult. Gorgeous? Magnificent?
There were no words in the English language that could describe the essence that was The Rook.
Without thought or hesitation, I walked into outstretched arms and shuddered in his embrace.
My knees trembled when his long fingers slid sensuously over my bare arm and lifted my chin to gaze into eyes that gleamed like silver-white mercury. A muscle twitched in his square jaw and a slow smile, half mischievous, half dangerous made my stomach fall to my feet.
He took my mouth with savage intensity.
It wasn’t a kiss.
It was rapture.

Ruth's Blog 

THE ROAD TO WRITING

Lately I've thought a lot about why I write. I guess that's because it becomes more and more difficult to do so. Yet when I think of other things I could be doing...or God forbid I take a day off to do something else, I know I won't stop.
I write because of all the things I want to say that haven't yet been said.
I write because there are people in my head who pinch me if I don't tell their stories.
I write because it's fulfilling to my soul.
I write because I'm not much good at anything else, though I've tried other things.
Here's a list of things I've tried to occupy spare time:
Leather Work, One can only make so many billfolds, key chain tags, and belts before running out of customers.
Teaching Piano: This one filled a lot of satisfying hours, but didn't challenge me much. After ten years, I had to quit. Writing had taken over my life.
Painting in Oils: After accumulating three or four dozen paintings I ran out of places to put them. A few sold and I managed to convince some people, mostly family, that they needed one cause I would one day be famous.
Quilting: After a disastrous and humorous afternoon at a quilting frame that resulted in my mother falling down laughing, I decided this definitely wasn't my calling.
Sewing: I enjoyed this and for years bought no clothes but hubby's work clothes. I was never the seamstress my mother was. She could look at something, cut out a pattern from her head and sew up a right nice outfit.
Giving Hubby a hard time: Acceptable during any phase of career changes.
Cooking: Baking is my favorite, but why cook what you can't eat?
Gardening: Had some good years with this venture, grew fantastic crops, canned and froze them.
Rabbit & Chicken Care: Oh, yes, we came to Arkansas in our late 30s and determined to raise what we would eat. Put a few cattle on a fenced acreage, bought some rabbits and chickens and settled down as back-to-the-landers. A wonderful time when I learned to butcher chickens, rabbits and even a hog (once was enough for that). What we learned was that shoes and eyeglasses and dentures don't grow on trees. One has to purchase "stuff" occasionally.
The office I write in today has gone through many phases. It once held a sewing machine and stacks of material. I made almost all our clothes. I knitted sweaters and learned to crochet (something else I'm not intended to do)
Then it held an old upright piano and an electronic piano during that phase.  I kept my saddle there too because the barn was across the road and open to one and all, including my lovely precocious, ornery Tennessee Walker Katy.
This has been a short tale of the road to writing, taken mostly because I stumbled onto it by accident, found I like it and here I remain.
Tell me why you write if you have the inclination.

MORE WORKSHOP SURPRISES

Recently I learned an upsetting fact. No two computers or their owners process information alike. This came about after teaching three Publish to Kindle workshops in which students used their own laptops so we could actually work our way through the formatting, converting and uploading of a book to Kindle.
"I have Word 2010," one announced.
"That will have to be saved to Word 2007 because Kindle won't take a Doc.x file, which Word 2010 creates."
No real problem there. Get it done in the program which you're familiar with, then save it to Word 2007 prior to uploading. Easily solved, yes?
You'd think so. But some people have no idea how to save a file to another type file. So, after solving that, I learned that several didn't know how to create a new folder. Furthermore, every computer had a different location in which to complete that simple task.
Why aren't computer's standardized? At least all PCs, most of which use Microsoft, could be. But they aren't. Worse, of course, when we have to consider a Mac and an iPad.
Teaching this class should've been simple. After all, I've formatted, converted and uploaded five books without a glitch and am working on the sixth.
"Do it just the way I do it."
Oh, yeah? Think again.
I have folders created for each and every subject I work in and they are all filed under My Documents. They contain not only manuscripts of books I've begun, am working on or have finished, but all sorts of information. Historical, recipes, branding, blogs, agents, lectures, my pictures and videos, and the list goes on. It's a big one, and I don't want these folders residing on my desktop or scattered hither and yon within the dark confines of this mysterious computer. I want to be able to find something when I look for it. It's a simple matter to add a folder, either to the documents file or within another folder's file.
Not so.
"Why won't my computer open the Kindle file so I can read it?"
How do I know? It's your computer, not mine. I know how mine opens the Kindle for PC file and allows me to read any Kindle book including those I'm creating.
"Well, mine won't do it." A scowl tells me I should be able to answer this question. I'm teaching the class, after all.
My first announcement is that I'm not a computer expert. "I know how to do what I'm going to teach you today, but you'll have to be able to do it on your computer."
Wishful thinking.
Next time, I think I'll take along a GEEK who can float around through the class teaching folks how to use their computers.
The real blessings are those who can do just that, and thankfully each workshop had several people who could tell someone how to Find every two spaces after the period and Replace them with one space, (how being the pivotal word there); or how to find Page Layout on Word's tool bar when it wasn't in the same place as mine; or where to go to acquire the Normal setting when it wasn't under Home in the tool bar.
Prior to teaching three workshops on this particular subject, where we actually used our laptops, it never occurred to me that every computer would have a different approach to doing the same thing.
We got through the classes, everyone (well, almost everyone) appeared satisfied and many are happily preparing their manuscript for upload to Kindle. If everyone learned as much as I did, I guess we're all happy. Success, more or less.
Teaching writers the fundamentals of producing a book or short story that might see publication is much easier.