A to Z Challenge - Zero

Last Day!

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

Now, you may wonder what zero has to do with writing, publishing, or promoting.

Well, if you’re going to be successful at all in this industry, it shouldn’t have anything to do with those things!

But here’s the sad truth.

Zero efforts = zero results.

Do nothing and nothing is guaranteed to happen!

The resources and support are all there - now it’s up to you. How bad do you want it? Are you willing to do what it takes?

Thanks to everyone who visited during the Challenge!

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Zen"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
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A to Z Challenge - YouTube

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

You Tube is the #1 video resource. It’s the best place to track down book trailers, video interviews, news, and just about anything else under the sun.

You Tube is not alone though. These sites also feature videos:

Meta Cafe
Vimeo
Daily Motion

There are dozens of sites, including several social sites.

How many of you have a video or book trailer on You Tube or another site?

How many want one?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Yoda"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Xtra Mile

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

(Yes, extra begins with an E - just go with me on this one!)

What is the xtra mile?

It’s doing more than what’s required.

It’s going out of your way.

It’s taking the initiative.

It’s stepping past the masses.

It’s being your best toward others.

It’s doing what others are not willing to do to succeed!

Are you going the xtra mile to fulfill your writing dreams?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Xtremely Creepy"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Writing

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

There’s many things we can do to improve our craft. The two most effective are reading and writing!

Just like working out muscles, writing skills need to be worked and stretched every day. However, that doesn’t mean you kill yourself trying to add another 1000 words to your manuscript! Some days it just doesn’t flow. Some days we don’t have enough hours. And some days we’re just beat!

But writing something - anything - is better than nothing.

What should we write? Blog posts, articles, letter, emails, writing prompts - anything to maintain the daily habit! Elizabeth Spann-Craig posted a great list of Writing Warm-ups that will give you ideas.

Are you writing something every day?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Wooly"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Virtual Tours

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

A virtual tour consists of visiting a new website or blog every day. “Stops” in your virtual tour consist of interviews, articles/guest posts, reviews, giveaways, and video/audio podcasts. Length varies, but two weeks/ten stops is best.

PR agents and virtual tour services are available, or an author can set up his or her own tour. Contact potential hosts two to four months in advance, as big site books early.

For a more in-depth look at setting up and conducting a blog tour, see Part I and Part II of my blog tour series.

Have you done a blog tour yet?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Velvet Soft"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Utilizing Resources

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

There’s thousands of resources (probably millions) for writers and authors, so let me focus on one big one - the Literary Marketplace.

What is it? From the Literary Marketplace website:

Featuring listings on more than 30,000 companies, books, periodicals, awards, courses, or events (to name just a few categories), no matter what -- or who-- you are looking for in the book trade, chances are you'll find it in literarymarketplace.com. A small sampling of the listings includes:

• Publishers
• Literary Agents
• Distributors & Sales Representatives
• Wholesalers
• Book Producers
• Exporters & Importers
• Manufacturers & Printers
• Translators & Interpreters
• Paper Suppliers
• Remainder Dealers
• Reference Books & Magazines
• Literary Association, Societies & Awards
• (and International listings as well.)

Three ways to access:
Your local library - be sure they have a current edition
Purchase the 2-volume set for $329.00 - new editions available every year
Subscribe to the website for $399.00 - updated on a continuous basis

Have you ever utilized this amazing resource?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Under the Bridge"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Target Audience

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

Authors need to write with a target audience in mind. We need to know who we’re writing for and how to find these people.

Some things to consider while writing and preparing for promotions:

• What shops and stores do they frequent besides book- stores?
• Where do they go for entertainment? Do they attend festivals? Sporting events? Museums?
• Are they involved in organizations or civic groups?
• What news broadcasts or magazines do they follow?
• What websites or blogs do they visit?
• Are they involved in community and social sites? Which ones?
• Are they involved in website forums or groups?
• Where do they shop online?
• Do they listen to podcasts?

Who is YOUR target audience?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

We will be doing a reflections post again this year and invite all participants of the Challenge to join us.
What did you enjoy about the Challenge?
What could we do better next year?
What issues did you encounter? (Word verification, unable to comment, long posts, etc.)
Did you encounter many non-participants? (With help from our minions, we tried really hard to clean the list this year.)
Theme or no theme – what seemed to work better? Did you find any great themes?
Did you have fun and will you participate again next year?
Your Reflections can be posted anytime from May 3 through May 10. The Linky List will go live May 3 and we ask you to add the link to your post, not your website, once you have posted. The Challenge hosts read every one so we know where to improve for next year.


And your daily photo: "The Dreamer"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Speaking

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

At the very least, every author should be able to discuss his own book. This will be required for signings, book readings, and library appearances. Book clubs and writer’s groups are also open to the author.

However, magic happens when an author moves beyond the book and develops a platform around his or her area of expertise, research, or experience. There are several advantages, including speaking fees, back of room sales, and more appeal to the media.

The list of venues for speakers is endless: libraries; businesses; schools; churches; colleges; writer and book festivals; organizations; clubs; conferences; etc. All of these provide an opportunity to reach a wider audience and generate greater books sales.

Have you ventured into professional speaking?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Sunrise"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Retail

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

Bookstores aren’t the only businesses that sell books. Some titles will fit well in very untraditional retail locations.

This is where you need to think creatively. You know your target audience—where do they frequent? Make a list of all possibilities and consider these retail outlets:

• Gift shops
• Specialty stores
• Independent coffee shops
• Museums
• State and national parks
• Stores on military bases
• Religious stores and churches
• University bookstores
• Supermarkets and warehouse stores
• Beauty shops

What retail outlets are a good fit for your books?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Rings"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Quotes

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

They say it’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission. But if you’re quoting someone, it’s better to ask permission than to get sued!

Quotes, excerpts, facts and figures - in print or online - are copyrighted and require permission to use. The same applies to song lyrics.

There are always exceptions, such as reviews of your book or public domain.

If in doubt, here are a couple publishing law websites to check:
Ivan Hoffman
Pub Law

And if you can’t get permission? Next!

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And I just found the cutest blog participating in the A to Z -Flat Stanley and Friends.

Your daily photo: "sQuid Attack!"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Postcards

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

Postcards are good for announcing the release of your book. You can mail them to fans, friends, family, libraries, bookstores, businesses, organizations, and target genre clubs or groups.

With the cover art displayed on one side, a condensed version of the bookmark information will appear on the back. Once again, go for quality with a glossy color front. The 4 x 6 size is best for mailing. This size and larger can be handed out during appearances, too.

Do you use postcards?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Prehistoric"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Organization

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

Writing can be messy! Which is why we need to keep everything else organized.

I’m scary organized. I have lists for my lists. If someone calls, I can lay my hand on the correct information within seconds.

What areas do I organize?

To do lists - I write it down or it doesn’t happen
Computer files - everything in its properly labeled folder
Physical files - ditto
Bookkeeping and Taxes - I address it monthly so it doesn’t attack me at the end of the year
Contacts - I keep a notebook with all of my contacts & their information
Ledgers - keeping track of sales and money coming in
Appearances - in real life and online
Stock and Promo material - organized so I can see at glance what is needed
My library - I have a lot of books!
Manuscripts - outlines and character profiles

Are you organized? Need help? LOL

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo: "Orange Glow"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Newsletters

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

Newsletters are a great way to keep your fans/customers up to date on new information.

However, the purpose of a newsletter is not just to promote - it is to provide valuable information. If all you do is talk about yourself or your books/products, people will unsubscribe - or worse yet, report you as spam!

What items would be good for a newsletter?

Articles that solve problems or inform
News flashes on growing trends
Links to other news items or articles
Highlight on a guest (author, company, product, etc.)
Contests
Photos
And finally, any new news about you, including new dates, products, books, etc.

Do you have a newsletter?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo - "Newspaper Bandit Rides Again"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Media Buzz

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

We’ve all heard about pitching the media and how to gain their attention. But did you know you can create your own media buzz?

You do this through:

Blogging
Articles
Media releases
Videos
Newsletters
Interviews
Podcasts

And anything else that gets people talking about you!

What are you doing to create buzz?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo - "Mantis"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Libraries

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

I could give you all sorts of facts and information about libraries. They’re great for those without a means to purchase books. They’re great for research. They’re a great place to discover new authors. And while many are closing, libraries still outnumber bookstores.

So, let me provide something you might not know.

Libraries don’t return books.

And once a book has been checked out X amount of times, it needs to be replaced.

Isn’t that great?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo - "Lady of Sorrow"

I also wanted to post a picture of the wonderful homemade gifts I received from Ella. I sent her some doilies so she could make something pretty with them and she sent me these delightful items. Thank you, Ella.

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Keywords

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

Search engines look for keywords and description. Keywords are found within site names, the web copy, and the metadata. We need to use the proper keywords (without over-using them) to ensure people find us.

Remember the Long Tail Theory - narrowly targeted products and services. Many people will find your site through multi-word and specific phrase searches.

Is there enough evidence on your website and/or blog to convict you of being the author or writer of ____? When people do a search, will they find YOU?

Think about it!

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo - "Kaleidoscope"

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.

A to Z Challenge - Joy

For the A to Z Challenge, I’m posting promo and other tips for writers, along with a daily photo. (All photos taken by me.)

Joy might seem like a strange tip. But it’s the reason most of us began writing.

The danger lies in losing that joy. Many things can suck the fun out of writing - a story we’re not enjoying, too many pressures (either from promoting, deadlines, or expectations), negative response, or just plain burnout.

If you find your joy waning, it’s time to pull back and reassess. Why are you doing this? Is it too much? Are you still pursuing your goals?

You won’t make a lot of money doing this, so if you’re not writing for the joy of it, you are in for a miserable journey.

Do you still possess that joy?

Visit other participants in the A to Z Challenge HERE

And your daily photo - "Jellies" 

$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Purchase at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Amazon Kindle UK, and Powell’s.