Google+ -- the new format for comments?

To Google+ or not?

Google seem to be ignoring my desire to never change anything... ever. If you use Google as your RSS feeder, it will close down soon. After three years, I still haven't figured out how to use or encourage others to use RSS. Now all that lack of knowledge will be wasted. But wait, there's more. Now Google asks me if I want to change my Blogger comments to Google+ comments. What? I don't know!

Many Blogger bloggers will have been offered the chance to switch their post comments to Google+. Sure it all looks cool, your post comments will appear not just on your blog but in the Google+ stream. Here's the link if you want to know more:

http://support.google.com/blogger/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=2981015

The thing is, only people with a Google+ account will be able to comment. Is this good or bad? You tell me. I figure comments belong to the commenters (which is why I'll never make you suffer through word verification), so it's your choice. Is everyone using Google+ now?

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How do you write gooder?

As part of the Progressive Book Club run by the entertaining, witty and dashingly charming M L Swift (what do you mean it sounds like I'm sucking up just because my post is late?), today I'm reporting back on our latest read:

How to Write Good - John Vorhaus

I'm quite particular about my 'how to' books and complain if they are too vague or self-serving (used as a platform to sell their own products). Although 'How to Write Good' does not contain a lot of structured exercises, it does give good advice.

Especially helpful and motivating for the new writer, this book guides you through the common pitfalls of writing and how to get over them (mostly, by not worrying so much about 'writing good').

I enjoyed much of the humour and actually implemented some of the advice into my writing group activities. The 'gold' I took from this book was to decide what is important to you. Where do you stand on certain issues and how much do you care? That's what you should write about. Write about it loud and proud and often.

This one's worth a go.

DOGNAPPED? TOUR ANNOUNCED!

To celebrate the release of my new kids' novel, Dognapped? A Dog Show Detective Mystery, I'm offering some cool prizes in the upcoming blog tour. You could win a Kindle Fire or Amazon gift card just for participating!

The official release date will be Wednesday May 22. Bloggers can post on that date (Dognapped? will be free for the 22nd and 23rd) or whenever suits their schedule. Any exposure is good and very much appreciated. The competition will run until July 7 and anyone who blog or purchases a copy of Dognapped? (yes, even a free copy) can enter.

Want to take part? If you sign up below, I'll send you a pre-written blog post in html format that you can just paste straight into your blog, or, if you'd prefer to do an interview, review the book (I can send you a free review copy), or have a topic you'd like me to post about, email me at: charmaineclancy@gmail.com. Let the fun begin!

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James Garcia Jr - Seeing Ghosts

Today I have a cover reveal for the latest book by talented author James Garcia Jr!  Seeing Ghosts

Seeing Ghosts...

Paul Herrera finds himself bequeathed a mysterious old house near the California central coast

by a deceased aunt he never knew. The woman who shows it to him is the spitting image of his wife,

taken from him three years before in a senseless car accident which also took his unborn son. While he

deals with the ghosts of a past he cannot let go, there are new ghosts Paul must deal with - alone for the

week in the expansive two-storey house that he will soon discover holds many secrets. Eventually, he

will see that he is surrounded by ghosts as he struggles to hold onto the only thing that he has left in this

world - his sanity.

I've always dreamed of finding out at a will-reading that I'll inherit a fortune, but only if I can spend one whole night in a haunted mansion. Obviously James' book will be just the thing for me! Seeing Ghosts will be released June 5th - I'll be looking forward to it!

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12 Tips to Market Your Book at Shows

My ISWG post this month is on marketing/selling your book at shows.

Regardless of your interest or niche, there's bound to be a show or exhibition to celebrate it. These events can be strategic opportunities to market your book. I recently attended Supanova, an annual expo on all things pop culture. I go every year with the kids, because they love the cosplay (visitors come dressed as their favourite characters from films, books, games, comics, etc). This year I took the leap and booked myself a stand. It was a great experience. Some things I did well, and I've learned a few tips for my next show.

Yoda... or some weird zombie dog?

Here's my tips on how to market your book at shows:

1. Choose the show carefully. Who is your customer and which shows would they attend? Romance novels based on weddings, would do well at a wedding expo, the visitors are mostly female and obviously interested in weddings and most likely romantics. Supanova was a great choice for me because of the zombie aspect of my book. I'd also be keen to do any shows where the visitors include a large percentage of children.
2. Stock up. I signed 74 books at Supanova and went home with only 6 copies (which I had to post out the next day for orders anyway). I did order more stock, but not in time. Make sure you won't run out!
3. Have freebies. I took along magnets to give away and promote the book. I get these printed through Vistaprint very cheaply, and each one includes my website address, or a QR code. I give them away freely. I am careful not to make the image look solely like an advertisement, because people (especially kids) would be less likely to even want them.
   
4. Follow up sales. I also have postcards printed up (Vistaprint), which promote the book, include a blurb and all necessary contact details to make it easy for someone to order books after the show. 
5. Signage. I have a good sign with bright colours, to promote my stand and books. I've decided the sign should be a little bigger for these events, but luckily, I can get one made up for very little cost (yup, Vistaprint).
6. Price wisely. I put a discounted price on my books just for Supanova. At $10, it's cheap enough for parents to happily fork over the dough without having to think too much about it. I also had signage announcing the price so people knew before they approached my stand.
7. Dress it up. A plain fold-out table looks unprofessional. I didn't plan this ahead, but thankfully remembered to bring some fabric. Mine was green fur (appropriate for the book), and I covered that with purple tulle just to make it stand out. 
   
8. Bring back up. My kids were keen to attend the show anyway. And although they spent most of the time off exploring, it was good to have someone to mind the stand for bathroom breaks and fetch me a cuppa every now and then.
9. Chat don't sell. When people came up to my stand I'd chat about the costumes and celebrities at the show. I don't jump into a sales pitch for the book. Just make them feel welcome to come and have a sticky-beak. Most people will then choose to turn the conversation to your book by asking questions.
10. Display the book. Don't leave all the books lying flat on the table. I'd have some books sitting upright on top of stacks of books, so they're easy to spot at a distance (these are my own copies that I feel comfortable bending). The other copies are stacked and fanned out at the front of the table, so no matter where a person stands, they'll be right in front of a copy.
11. Get to know the other stand-holders. It's such a supportive environment. I sold a few books to other people with stands at the show, and even did a couple of book swaps with authors. Another bonus for me was being right next door to some awesome artists doing caricatures. One of the artists did a great zombie dog drawing for me!
    
12. Build an email list. This is something I didn't do, but will include next time. By having an email sign-up sheet at your stand, you can build a list of future customers and let them know when you have a new book out. Anthony from Book Cover Cafe has all the best advice on how to create and use an email sign-up sheet: Building your email list at live events

That's it, it was a great weekend and lots of fun! The girls and I had a Doctor Who theme going, but some of the other costumes were very original!

Have you signed up for the Dognapped? blog tour?

I'll be emailing participants in about a week (give you time to recover from A-Z first) and aim to release the book about mid-May. There'll be competitions and prizes:

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Supanova!

Big weekend for me! I'm heading down to the Gold Coast for the annual Supanova Pop Culture Expo. 

This is an amazing event where lots of people come dressed as their favourite characters from pop culture tv, books, games and film. The first time I went, I never even knew what one of these was:

But since then I've become a huge fan and what I want to see most this year is:

I'm also going to have my own stand! I'll be selling and signing copies of:

The kids love to dress up:

I won't, but maybe I'll just wear a cool hat:

My next big event? In May I release Dognapped?

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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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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The Invisible Workings of Story

Have you visited the TED site for inspirational and educational videos? There are some amazing resources there, and many of these can act as free workshops to improve your writing.

The video below is Andrew Stanton telling us the essential ingredients required for a good story. If you're having trouble with your manuscript, check and see what you might be missing. For those that don't like to sit still for a video, I have summarised in my own thoughts, what the key points are below.

1. Every story should open with a promise. Can the reader see straight away the adventure awaiting, or the romance that will blossom? If you don't have a clue in the opening, then why would they want to read on?
2. The reader wants to work at the story. Carefully constructed absence of information draws us in, we want to solve the puzzle. Don't give the reader 4, give them 2+2.
3. What drives your character? This is their internal motivation, one they usually have no idea exists, it's an itch they can't scratch. When revealed it comes as a shock to the character, but not us, we knew this what they really needed all along.
4. Change. If your story is remains constant, you have no story. Insert changes to force action.
5. Anticipation - have you made me wonder what will happen next? This is the 'page-turner' element.
6. A strong theme is present through the whole story. So that every single thing you put into your novel is moving it towards the inevitable end (even though the end won't seem inevitable during the journey).
7. Can you evoke wonder? This is tricky to explain because Stanton even says there is no way to fake this. I think if you are true to the next suggestion, you will achieve wonder.
8. Draw from what you know is real, infuse your core beliefs into your story (without preaching). Any element of simple truth will resonate with the reader.

There's my interpretation of Stanton's elements of the invisible workings of story. Hope you get a chance to watch the clip (and many more) from TED.

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