This Week's Podcast Guest: Social Media Guru Melonie Dodaro

This week, I had the pleasure of interviewing author and social media guru, Melonie Dodaro. Melonie's company, Top Dog Social Media, helps businesses make the most of their marketing and branding efforts. Her blog has been listed by the Social Media Examiner as one of the Top 10 Social Media blogs of 2014. Now she reveals some of her most important trade secrets in her new book, The Linkedin Code.

Many people consider Facebook and Twitter the best tools to build an online community. But as Melonie points out, Linkedin is an excellent way for everyone--including writers--to reach their target audience. We just need to know how to use it!  

Click here to listen to the podcast. Then on June 3, order The Linkedin Code and unlock the largest business social network!

Thinking of Revising Your Self-Published Book? Read This First!

It’s no secret that first-time authors have an incredible learning curve, and that curve gets a lot steeper when they choose to self-publish.  After pouring their blood, sweat and tears into their book, they realize that all that effort was just the beginning. They now have to be willing to tirelessly promote their work and carve a presence for themselves in the endless sea of books flooding the market today. While self-publishing has done much to equalize the playing field, it has also placed a tremendous responsibility squarely on the author’s shoulders. Authors can publish their book without having to jump through hoops for agents and publishers; they also retain complete control over the finished product. However this control means that the author is accountable for errors in grammar, character development and storyline.  Like anything else in life, this process gets easier with experience, but there is one thing about that first book that may come back to haunt you.  

Let’s say that a few years ago you wrote your first book and “threw it up” on Amazon.  Perhaps you did not have it edited, or you didn’t know how to properly market it. In any case, it didn’t do much in the way of sales.  But undeterred, you stuck with your writing, and now you have improved your skills, you’ve found an editor that you work well with, and you have become a self-promotion expert.   Armed with this knowledge and perhaps a few books under your belt, you decide to go back and revise that first book—your baby.  When you’re done, you have a masterpiece! Beaming with pride, you make it available for sale, only to receive a slew of negative reviews, citing all its errors.  WHAAAT?! After careful investigation, you learn that the original version of your book is still available online, and that’s what readers and reviewers are getting their hands on.  

This is an all too common problem, and one of the topics on last week’s Aspects of Writing Radio Show. I spoke with James Kelly, the show's host and a published novelist; Janet Coursey, author of The Secrets of Time, and PR guru Travis Shortt about what authors can do to remedy this issue.  Here are a few takeaways from that discussion:

• If you are in the process of readying an original manuscript for self-publishing, the answer is obvious: don’t rush to publish! Get that editor, make sure your book is properly formatted, and have a marketing plan ready.
• If you have already published a first edition and are writing a revision, contact the publisher and tell them you would like them to take down that original version. Be persistent; email and/or call them and try to get a definitive answer as to when it will come down.
• Then, before publishing the revision, do an Internet search to find out if the original book is still available anywhere else.  Please note that it is not always possible to remove old versions. If this is the case, you must make it clear to your potential readers that there is a new version available.  Provide identifying information--such as a new cover, ISBN number, publisher, publication date, etc.—in all of your marketing materials.    

To hear a replay of that show, click here. For more advice on writing, publishing and book marketing, tune into Aspects of Writing every other Tuesday on KLAV radio. The next live show is Tuesday, March 25 at 2pm Pacific/ 3pm Central / 5pm Eastern.

This Week's Podcast Guest: Author and Publisher Monica F. Hudson

Monica F. Hudson is a woman on a mission. The author and publisher from Little Rock, Arkansas seeks to deliver God's message of love through her writing. This week, it was my pleasure to interview Monica about her latest book, Over There: Raindrops of Reflection. It's an eloquent and deeply moving devotional about God's promise to the world.

These days, many authors choose self-publishing as the best way to retain control over their work. Monica, however, took it one step further; she started Hudson Publishers, which publishes nonfiction Christian books based on discipleship and empowerment. In addition to her literary career, she is also a member of Allen Temple A.M.E. Church in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and a twenty-plus-year veteran of the healthcare field. Her tireless energy and commitment is an inspiration to writers everywhere. 

Click here to listen to the podcast

Like what you heard? You can buy Monica's books through her website, www.2Cdivineanswers.com, or at Wordsworth Bookstore and Company in Little Rock and other independent bookstores. To learn more about her work and ministry, visit her on Facebook and Twitter.    

This Week's Podcast Guest: Dan O'Brien

Clearly, Dan O'Brien was born to be a writer. As a small child, he created stories to entertain his friends and relatives. As an adult, his many novels and screenplays bring enjoyment, knowledge, and often, a new perspective on the world.  This Friday, he will dish about his writing process and publishing experiences on the WITS podcast.

Dan will also talk about The Path of the Fallen, his riveting Science Fiction/Fantasy novel. However, in true Renaissance fashion, Dan has not limited himself to one genre. Instead, he has committed himself to growing as a writer, which for him means telling stories that move him, including romance and philosophy.

He has also created an online writer's marketplace of sorts, The Dan O'Brien Project. Whether you are a full-time writer or on the verge of starting that first book, you will find a wealth of information on all things writing. You can also read Dan's novels and contact him regarding his writing and publishing consulting company.

Path of the Fallen was originally a much longer book, but Dan shortened it for publishing purposes. Now, he is preparing to release the unabridged version! For more information, visit his Kickstarter page.

You can also connect with Dan on Facebook or Twitter.  And don't forget to tune into the WITS podcast on Friday to hear more about his work.

WITS Podcast: Self-Publishing Guru Dara M. Beevas Talks about The Indie Author Revolution

Anyone in the book business these days knows that self-publishing has become a powerful force in the literary world. Gone are the days when self-published books carry the stigma of not being "good enough" for agents and traditional houses. On the contrary, many authors are choosing to forgo the querying process altogether, simply because they want to maintain control over their work.

That doesn't not mean it's easy (because, let's face it, not much is easy when it comes to writing and selling your book). Self-publishing can be extremely daunting, especially for first time authors. Someone who just wanted to write is now making critical decisions about formatting their manuscript (and cover art!) that can really impact their book's reception in the marketplace. They also must be ready (and sooner rather than later) to promote both themselves and their work through traditional and social media.

That's why Dara M. Beevas' book is such a godsend. Drawing on her experience as both a traditionally and self-published author, Beevas has created a comprehensive guide to joining the indie revolution. Also apparent in the book is Beevas' passion for mentoring other writers, which is no surprise, given her "day job". Beevas is Vice President of Beaver's Pond Press, a Minneapolis-based company created for the sole purpose of helping indie writers get their story (and a quality product) out into the world.

Click here to listen to the podcast:

Like what you heard? Visit Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Beaver's Pond Press to order The Indie Author Revolution. For more information on Dara's work, visit Wise Ink.

This Week's Podcast Guest: Author and Writing Mentor Dara Beevas

Join us this Friday when author and self-publishing expert Dara Beevas discusses her new book, The Indie Author Revolution: An Insider's Guide to Self-Publishing. The book is both comprehensive yet easy to follow, and draws on Beevas'  experience as a writer, publisher and mentor.    

Self-publishing can be intimidating and difficult to navigate, especially for new authors. And Beevas would know. She has been writing since she was a child, when traditional publishing was an author's only option. But as anyone in the writing business knows, things have changed quite a bit since then, and Beevas found herself part of a fascinating new literary world.   

These days, she not only self-publishes her own work but mentors authors as Vice President of Beaver's Pond Press in Minneapolis. Created for the sole purpose of helping authors create books of the highest caliber, the Press takes them through every step of the process, from writing and editing to printing and marketing. The key, Beevas said, is to understand that there is more to creating a book than just writing it. Self-published authors must be willing to look at their book as a business.    

She even finds time to write her own blog, Wise Ink, which offers tips and tutorials on writing and publishing for the novice and expert alike. 

This Week's Podcast Guest: Sola Olu

One of the most wonderful things a couple can hear is that they are going to have a baby. With joyful anticipation (and a healthy amount of pre-baby jitters) they prepare for their child’s arrival by shopping for tiny clothes, a stroller and a crib. There is no way to prepare, however, for the news that something is wrong with the fetus. Sola Olu's new book, The Summer Called Angel, A Story of Hope on the Journey Through Prematurity chronicles the struggles that she and her husband faced after the premature births of not one, both both, of their children.

Sola's book, which began as her private journal, gives a real time account of the horrifying complications that occur when a baby is born before the 37^th week (a 40-week pregnancy is considered “normal”). These life-threatening issues include weak muscles, an underdeveloped brain, and heart and lung problems. As she and her husband nursed their tiny babies through one medical emergency after another, they drew on their faith in God and love for each to get them through.  

 

Join us on Friday when Sola Olu speaks about her mission to engage, educate and comfort other parents of premature babies.  

The Summer Called Angel is currently available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Why I Self-Published My Book

Today, as part of my virtual book tour, Doreen Pendgracs (Twitter: @wizardofwords) shares an
article about how I self-published my book. See Doreen's blog, Wizard of Words, at http://doreenpendgracs.com

When choosing a publishing method, there are three basic options these days. The conventional route is to go through one of the “Big 6” book publishers, which includes Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Group, Random House, and Simon & Schuster. An author must query, many times using the services of a literary agent (who takes a percentage of the advance), and present a detailed overview of the book along with a bio on the author, some sample chapters, and a full-scale marketing plan to demonstrate probability of books sales.

Learn why I chose CreateSpace over Lightning Source to self-publish my book.

Read more . . .

Learn more about the ascension process in my book, Shifting into Purer Consciousness ~ Integrating Spiritual Transformation with the Human Experience.