Insecure Writers - I'm Doing it Wrong

The first Wednesday of every month, us insecure writers get together and discuss the things that make us writers insecure. We also look at ways to overcome those insecurities.

One of my biggest worries as an author/blogger/parent.. and just about everything else, is that I'm doing it wrong. I've made loads of mistakes along the path, so there's a lot of evidence (still in people's basements) to prove I've done it wrong. A lot.

Even now, with the release of my new book, Dognapped?, I keep thinking I'm doing something wrong with my giveaway. The book sales are going great - thank you to everyone who downloaded it! But not a lot of people have put their name down to win a free Kindle Fire. Is that unusual? Am I not promoting it right? Should I care if the book sales are still good? 

But I do care. I worry that people have earned an entry and won't have their fair chance. I worry that I'm doing it wrong. I worry that I'll disappoint people. And I have mild panic attacks.

Then I calm down (usually after sleeping it off), and remember getting it wrong has taught me a lot. It's shown me better ways to do stuff. And I remember that the people I think are judging me, are actually just like me. They're not perfect, they make mistakes too, and they'll understand.

If it wasn't for you guys, I would crawl under a rock whenever I got it wrong and stay there.

Now, if you did get your copy of Dognapped? (even if you got it when it was free) don't forget to get your entry in for the Kindle Fire comp!

KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY

To celebrate the release of my new mystery novel for girls, I'm giving away a Kindle Fire and a $25 Amazon gift voucher! Simply download Dognapped? A Dog Show Detective Mystery or blog about the book to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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7 Tips for Choosing Your Book Cover Art

Cover reveal! Dognapped?, the first book in the Dog Show Detective Mystery series is almost ready for release! Can you tell I'm excited? If you'd like to be involved in the Dognapped? blog tour, check for details at the bottom of this post.

Cover design is an essential elements for your novel if you want a professional product. And you do want a professional product. The first impression readers will have of your novel is your cover. Make sure it entices!

Here are my tips for choosing the perfect image:

1. Represent your genre. Research to see what styles are trending in your genre. E.g. Romance readers like a couple embracing or often a hunky fellow with his shirt off. But if you write romantic comedy, you might show a couple back to back instead (to emphasise the conflicts rather than the romance scenes).
2. Professional images. There are so many sites such as Shutterstock, where you can purchase a licence to us professional images. Many will need very little manipulating to turn into a brilliant cover. If you are illustrating your cover, keep in mind composition. Make sure the artwork covers the entire space, it looks terrible when it doesn't quite reach the edges.
3. Don't over-clutter. I see a lot of covers where the author has tried to include every element of the story, setting and characters on the cover. It just gets busy. Less is more. A simple symbol (like a crow or tombstone for horror  stories) is more effective than a crowded cover.
4. Go with the trends. For YA novels, the grunge look is huge with the faded or blackened edges. Almost all genres are embracing the vintage look too now, with a silkscreened or cut-out look that you would expect from the 1950s.
5. Experiment. If you're releasing an e-book and you can't narrow down your choices, upload one for a while and then change. See which one sells better.
6. Trust the experts. I always have a clear idea of what I want on my cover, and then my graphic designer (www.bookcovercafe.com) shows me something better. Don't be stubborn, be open to ideas and suggestions.
7. The reader's choice is more important than yours. My books are mostly for kids 10-13, so even if I love, love, love a cover design, I have to listen when a whole bunch if kids tell me they don't like it.

Want to know more about cover design? Here's some more links:

DIY Book Covers - an overview of everything you need to know.

How to Font Your Cover - Font, it's more important than you think!

Help me celebrate the release of Dognapped?

I'll be releasing Dognapped? in May and I'd love and appreciate your help! Dognapped? is a mystery novel for girls aged 9-12yrs. If you'd like to join the blog tour, sign up below. I'll email you closer to the release date to provide you with a fully-formatted post you can simply add to your blog to save you time and effort (or feel free to write your own, send me interview questions or provide a topic you'd like me to write about for your blog).

Will there be prizes? YES! I'm thinking... Kindle Fire and Amazon gift cards.

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10 Tips for creating classroom resources to promote your novel.

Have you written a novel for kids or teens?

One way to reach your audience is through schools--lots of kids there!

How can you get your book into the classroom? One way is to offer author talks at your local schools--you can speak about the novel and offer a few fun activities for the kids. Another way is to create classroom resources that teachers can download from your website.

That's what I've been busy doing and I have a whole worksheet booklet prepared for download:

Click on the image to open the PDF

If you want to create classroom resources for your book, here's a few tips:

1. Make it a PDF, it'll be easier to share and download. I use Adobe InDesign for mine.
2. Include images. Straight out text can seem dry and boring. You want it look life fun! I mostly use Shutterstock for images, they've a huge range and they're cheap.
3. Check curriculum and syllabus requirements on the Education Department's website. I aim at years 6-7 English (novel studies, genre study and themes), but if you have a historical novel you might find it fits in History studies.
4. Include activities that enable students to explore their own opinion on topics. Don't just have questions where the answer is right or wrong. Allowing children to reflect on their own experiences and express their ideas is just as valuable, if not more, than testing information retention.
5. Relate to a variety of subjects. I include creative writing, essay, craft, art, puzzles, poetry and genre study in mine. This means teachers can choose to use your worksheets any time through out the school year.
6. Include games. I have doubts that a wordsearch really tests any skill. You don't even have to know how to spell to find the word. BUT kids enjoy solving these and they're easy to create. Just Google 'create your own word search puzzle'. You could include mazes, or crossword puzzles or anything that adds a bit of fun to your worksheets.
7. Promote your website. Every page should show your web address, or some way for potential readers to find your books. I list my www.charmaineclancy.com address on every page.
8. Prepare for sales. If a teacher loves your resources and wants to acquire a class set, are you ready with information on price (class sets can be up to 30 books, and budgets are usually tight). Can you offer a discount? How will you handle distribution?
9. Don't make it all about your novel. What? Isn't that the idea? No. It's not. You're offering a resource to enhance the education of children. My novel is a humorous horror for kids, so I include exercises on the horror genre that do not mention my book. Your web details will still be available on the sheet.
10. Create a link to your PDF on your website/blog. On Wordpress you can insert the PDF right onto your blog (I created a Wordpress page to host mine). There may be a widget for Blogger, or you could use Google Docs or Scribd. Place a link in your navigation bar. Make it easy to find!

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Writers for Writers

Yet more proof of what a supportive bunch we writers are.

Stephen Tremp from Breakthrough Blogs is hosting a Writers for Writers blog hop. This group aims to help promote members' books via twitter. It's quite simple, each month (the third Monday) a few writers will be highlighted. By visiting their blog you can pick up the promotional tweet to be retweeted. The tweet will promote the book, include a link to Amazon and ask others to retweet for you. This should help create a buzz about the book, increase sales/downloads and lift the book in Amazon's ratings. Then, when it's your turn, you'll write a tweet about your book and members will retweet it for you.

It's worth noting that this at times will require tweeting about a book you haven't read. I will in no way mislead followers to believe I'm endorsing the book, but am happy to simply send out a link and description. If a tweet sounds like a review, I'd probably reword it. For example, I wouldn't send out a tweet that read: Best mystery fiction ever! You must read DETECTIVE ZOMBIE GETS HIS MAN link.com if I hadn't read the book. I will still send out a link with a description of genre. I might add 'sounds like a fun read', or 'I'm keen to check this out'.

So if you're keen, sign up here:

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