Guest post by Anne K. Edwards, author of 'Dark of the Heart'
Anne K. Edwards enjoys a life shared
with her husband and several cats who rule the household and lives of its
inhabitants. She is an avid reader, reviews ebooks, writes in several genres,
and enjoys meeting other writers. She’s currently touring the blogosphere to
promote her latest book, Dark of the Heart.
About the
book
A runaway son has returned
to the Tyles family fold after an absence of several years. A frightened
boy when he left, Joey Tyles has returned a bitter man bent on revenge on the
family that made his childhood a hell.
Find out
more on Amazon.
Guest post
Writing
is the hardest part of becoming a published author, for without a written
story, publishing and promotion would not exist. After the tale or article is
finished and published, comes the second hardest part-promotion. That
is for me and those like myself who may choose to self-publish through one of
the many outlets available. While promotion takes many forms, its sole purpose
is to get the reading public to notice the book and buy it. This
means promotion is aimed at sales.
To write
a book, no matter the genre or subject, the author must have some knowledge of
writing and how to go about turning out an interesting, well written piece that
will catch the reader’s attention. Any author must be willing to set their ego
aside, to let the characters in fiction tell their own tale, or in nonfiction,
keep their opinions out of the work so it is objective and informative. Once a
writer can take themselves out of the work, they must be willing to learn the
craft without worrying about sales, or if they will be famous. They must also
love to read a wide variety of subjects, particularly in the genre they want to
write.
Coming to
publication, once the author is satisfied thei book is the best they can make
it, said author must be willing to accept valid criticisms about the work,
whether it is well written, complete, or needs more research or changes, This
is when the new author will learn they need a thick hide to endure the often
sharpened needles of the envious writers or incompetent reviewers who will
shoot darts at them out of pure spite. Thankfully, they are few and
the honest writers and reviewers who will be asked to read the book will give
honest opinions and advice if needed to make the book better. This
is part of the learning process that leads to becoming a published and
well-read author. This is the time when an author wants to submit to publishers
and will often jump at the first contract
offered. They should do
their research on publishers just as they did on information for their
book. That is the way to find the best publisher and have a good
working relationship. If they are lucky enough to choose an author friendly
publisher that will still be author friendly AFTER the contract is signed, the
author is fortunate indeed.
Once the
contract is signed, comes the time to research promotion. Some
publishers will agree that pre-publication publicity is a good thing, others
will say to wait because readers who might be interested in the book but find
it is not available at the time they read the promotion will forget about it
and purchase books that are available at the time they are looking to buy
reading material. Generally, the choice is one the author must face
for they will be paying for the promotion and have to stretch their promo
dollars to get the most out of them. Here again, research is
necessary so the author doesn’t waste their money on scam sights, send books to
readers both in and out of the US that will then be resold with no reviews
forthcoming. Those print books which are generally asked for are the
preferred targets so ebook reviewers should be considered first. Many reviewers
do not keep the books once reviewed, but there are some who will offer copies
of the book for sale without permission (they are called thieves.) Do not call
them pirates as this tends to glamorize a practice to some. The author must
decide whether it is worth pursuing them to stop the practice.
There are many sites on the
Internet that are scams or plainly crooked, among them publicity sites and
publishers. Ask other authors about honest ones or lists that offer notices of
honesty for publicists, agents, publishers and any others claiming to be related
to the world of books. Remember authors, both new and published, are the
targets of crooks working to steal money, books, or rights. Read that
publishing contract word for word before signing and be sure you understand
your rights. There are new twists in this business every day that allow even
copyrights to be stolen.
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