So far, I’ve never attended a book fair, but will probably do so here in Greece. So, I found this guest post by Elaine Bennett of particular interest. I hope you, too, enjoy it! Elaine is a marketing specialist-turned blogger, currently writing for Bizzmark Blog.
4 Tips for a Successful Book Fair
Image: Pixabay
First off, congrats on publishing your work! In the today’s world of fast-paced digital consumption, when too many will rather opt for a quick llama video over a complex, mind-boggling selection of short stories, writing still prevails as an art form that deserves praise. Now that you’re done with the difficult part, writing the darn thing, how you approach your marketing strategy and your preparation for upcoming book fairs may make a big difference in your book’s success.
Book fairs remain very relevant for authors as well as publishers when it comes to promotion, getting…
In the War of Nytefall series, Kai Stavros is the acting spymaster working under Xavier Tempest. His job is to gather information on enemies, handle assassinations, and report on potential dangers to his master. Kai isn’t much of an infiltrator in terms of mimicking enemies, but he uses invisibility as well as various relics. There are also some animals that he has enslaved to do his bidding. Yet, he still tends to stay in the background because that’s kind of where he belongs. Spies that end up in the foreground come off less stealthy and more destructive like James Bond. Sure, they get the job done, but some of the mystery is lost. This brings up the question:
How do you write a spy, especially one for a fictional army?
The reason I’m focusing on the army part is because I’ve read a lot of stories and watched a lot of shows where intel gathering is glossed over. Sometimes, the leaders just find out through a message that happens to show up. Other times you get a traitorous enemy or a person who happened to see something. You also see a lot of scouts getting used, which makes sense when you’re on the march. It isn’t very common where a fictional army gets information from a spy. Typically, this is what will come in prior to taking action, but many writers kind of start with the soldiers already moving. They happen to know what they’re up against too.
Again, we find a small issue here. The spy needs to be a focal point in order for the character to have any impact. You can get away with noting that they exist and then just have intel show up, which is an easy way to do it. Yet, this can lead to several convenient plot actions or the dread Deus Ex Machina. On the other hand, you can’t expose the spy too much or they lose something. For example, Kai is called a spymaster, which shows that he orders the other spies around. This gives him a little more leeway, but he’s rarely entered actual combat. He has lost something since he isn’t a shadowy figure who shows up. I’ve tried to minimize this by having him be sneaky and not always share what he’s up to. Making him a character with a secret plan up his sleeve helps to retain some level of mystery and cunning.
Now, one could argue that this type of character is not necessary. I would agree. You can find many other explanations for the uncovering of information. Spies are very complicated to write because people have expectations. Many readers will want them to be cunning, charming, manipulative people who will kill either from the shadows or without letting their enemies make a sound. Ninjas, hitmen, and assassins tend to be lumped in with the spy category to the point where people don’t really think beyond these three. So, what can you do?
Well, that’s when I’m going to open it to the floor. What do you think about writing spies and how important are they? What about having them involved in fictional military systems?
We live in a society where you are judged by how much money you make.
Yeah, that’s a brutal way to start this off, but I don’t really think I’m wrong. For 5 years, I was a stay-at-home parent while saying my career was author. That’s 5 years of being asked how much money I make more often than how my son is doing or what my books are about. Sometimes this question came from the people who were supposed to be the center of my support system. Call me cynical . . . because you’re probably right. The whole thing really made me frustrated since I wanted to be judged by what I created instead of the money it made. You can have the greatest book in the world and fail because you suck at marketing. You can have the worst book in the world and succeed because you know how to market yourself. Is this always how it goes? No, but it does feel like victory goes to the ones who can afford the better marketing.
Over the years, I’ve tried various promotions that are both free and paid. The free ones don’t do anything these days. The paid ones aren’t much better. I’ve seen that there are authors who will dominate a platform until it’s more their personal promo machine instead of something to help multiple authors. A few years back, I saw a trend where indies would rush to their own corners instead of helping others. It forced others to do the same because we couldn’t figure out where to find the mutual back-scratching congregations. Is this underhanded? No. It’s actually how business works since the system is designed for competition more than camaraderie.
I’m always told to follow the big name authors and help them promote their books in the hopes that I’ll get a few scraps of attention. Sorry, but I have so little time for my own stuff that using it for someone else and letting my own projects die doesn’t sound like a good idea. It isn’t even for a sure thing, but the possibility of attention. Other suggestions are to write what is popular to get enough money to support my real projects. Yet, how will the other projects work out if people see you as the author of something different? I’ve noticed that audiences really don’t follow an author from genre to genre like they used to. It’s no longer ‘I love this author’, but ‘I love these characters’ or ‘I love these books’. Once those two things are done, the audience goes off to find something similar. Then, you have to either cling to the successful series for dear life or accept that you’re about to have a drop in income/respect. After all, people are judged by the amount of money they make.
This post is becoming a pretty big rant that went off the rails fast. The reason for this is because I’ve always been more author than businessman. I really just want to sit around and write my stories then publish them. Once I get to the business side, I start stumbling because I don’t have the mind for it. It isn’t even comfort zone. I just don’t know what to do and I lack the money (there’s that word again) to attempt any of the big things like Amazon promo packages or billboards. I’m definitely someone who needs a promoter or publicist because my head is too high in the clouds at times. Ask me to write a scene that pits a caster against three dragons and I’ll pounce on it. Ask me to do a fun author interview and I’ll jump in. Ask me to create a business plan . . . Can I go back to the dragons?
I’ve met many authors who are great at the business side of things. Maybe I could be like that if I had more confidence and time, but those are lacking. Thought I had it down years ago when opportunities for indie authors were more plentiful. As soon as things fell apart, I couldn’t hold on and that’s when things went south. I was judged a lot on the money I wasn’t making and angrily told what I should be doing by people who had no idea what was going on. Being ordered around by those who are looking in from the outside and ignoring me saying ‘that takes money’ or ‘I tried that already’ made me want to retreat more towards the art. That’s the person I am. My writing is where I’m happy and it’s comforting, so that’s where I run to when things are tough. I don’t go to the business side of things when it gets stressful. That’s where the horrors are. I’m actually thinking of deleting that ‘Book Advertising Sites’ page I have here because I don’t think many of those exist any more. So much has changed and I don’t think it’s for the better if you’re more author/artist than moneymaker.
Anyway, this was a rant that needed to happen. I’ve been struggling with the balancing act for years. The judging continues even with me being a TA. Always asked where I’m going next and when I’ll get my teaching certificate. It’s like people don’t want you to enjoy the moment and demand that you only look forward. Isn’t that how people tend to accidentally step in dog shit? You’re looking up and ahead, but never at where you’re stepping at that moment. Gross analogy, but it works for me. Seems like the best way to end it too.
Just found this quote, which is probably controversial. I see the point though:
Personally, I figure money has to go to both. Yet, I can see how there’s a sour taste in the mouth if most of the budget goes to advertising than the artists. It makes one wonder if the artist is talented or simply well-promoted. We can all think of someone famous who we don’t see as talented, but they’re everywhere.
I went back to work this week and my body truly didn’t enjoy waking up at 5:30 AM again. So much that it got me up at 4:30 AM to make things worse. Seriously, I’m still averaging 5-6 hours of sleep. This is probably why my evenings have been very low key. I’ll get into that in a bit.
Has it been a bit? This is why I don’t have a ton to say here that would interest people. I get home, get ready for my son to come home, help him with homework, off to his nightly activity, and then I put him to bed with a slight fight. By the time it’s all done, I’m at 8:30 PM and knowing that I can’t get any writing in. Too tired and I can’t risk staying up too late. So, I’ve been trying to prepare blog posts for June instead. This hasn’t gone smoothly either because it was busy at the school. I only wrote 4 posts and one of them is for tomorrow as a rant. This brings up the question of what I’m doing.
First, I’m losing Monday nights to the final 6 episodes (last one Monday) of ‘Into the Badlands’. I’ve noticed that a lot of my shows are ending like that one, Big Bang Theory, and Elemenatry. Lucifer comes back on Netflix, so I can watch that at my leisure. I’ll probably hit that once I get through the final episode of ‘The Defenders’.
This isn’t to say that I’m only watching TV. I’m also working on puzzles and tackled this one:
Sorry for the small picture. This is actually a tough one because it’s a lot of black, brown, and green. So, I can’t really pick out one section with ease to filter out the needed pieces. I tried with Darth Vader’s lightsaber and it didn’t work. The browns are different shades too and many of them have lines. I’m okay if I can get 20 pieces set in a sitting, but this is going to take a while. I should have started with the one I got of the Millenium Falcon. I can’t even touch the 2,000 piece puzzle because I don’t have a table big enough for the finished product. I did complete a 300 piece Pokemon one for my son and a 550 piece Hyrule map. They just need frames since I glued them.
Doesn’t really feel like an author’s blog here, does it? I really wish I could be more author than ‘this is my life’. I can’t even talk about the life stuff until the legal things are settled. I know people are tired of hearing this, but I’m really scared that this mess and me not being able to talk about it has killed my traffic. People were trying to give me advice and positive energy, but it was hard to take since we’re talking about the last 20 years of my life being pulverized. I’ve been trying to continue, but it’s so hard. Yet, taking any longer of a break makes me feel like the last 5 years of work will be undone. It’s clear that going away and coming back hurts. Not everyone returns to a blog, which is why I’m trying to keep it active. Nothing else on social media works since I’ve seen that high or low activity on Twitter get the same results of nada. The blog doesn’t get any sales, but it’s better interaction when I can get a conversation going.
And that’s the other issue I’ve been having. I’m up and running with only my iPhone to keep up with blogs. WordPress for the last month has been a nightmare when used on my phone. I’m either not logged in, can’t log in, or am logged in, but not really. I have to go through the app and that isn’t a guarantee. No way to reblog. I tried on Tuesday to leave all of the blog emails alone until I got home from everything, but then I was faced with well over 100. Much of what I end up seeing are reblogs too. There are other times where it simply won’t let me comment. This happens even on my own blog unless I go through the app’s notification and pray to at least 3 deities. It’s another strike to the heart of what I’ve tried to build.
I can write this and next weekend. I’ve been getting together with friends from work a bit more often, but I dig in for the actual weekends. I’ve got 5 chapters to go with War of Nytefall: Eradication and I might be able to finish it by the end of the month. I can get 1.5 done this weekend and 2 the next. I’ll tinker at nights for the following two weekends because those are son times. That might clear the rest. Need to make sure the June posts are ready too. Thankfully, my work schedule got changed a bit and I can do a little notebook work. I actually picked this up for my special project set up and I’ve got enough room to make a few notes on other series:
Next Sunday might be a post about an idea I want to play with, but I’m scared to do something like that. It feels like a promise when I can barely keep my current projects going. Bedlam and Ichabod Brooks are on pause for a long time. The summer job is going to be even busier and more time-consuming, so I’ll be using the nights and weekends to work on the blog and the special project. That’s the hope anyway because I’m seeing how things never go as I had hoped. Really wish I could catch some kind of break in some aspect of my life. Being the universe’s personal chew toy gets tiring after a while.
So, what are the goals for this week?
Son time.
Finish chapters 10 and 11 for War of Nytefall: Eradication.
Finish at least 4 June blog posts.
Work more on special project. I think I’ll mention it on Memorial Day weekend as a Sunday post.
Try to get a bit more sleep.
Move the bike into a spot where I can use it. I’ll get back on it some day.
Foreword: This week has been crazy. Between attending the LitUp Festival today, trying to coordinate the cover for TOOK ME YESTERDAY (the sequel of TAKE ME TOMORROW) on Wattpad, and some other crazy exciting news, I almost (ALMOST) let this blog post get away from me. (Thank the writing gods for iCalendar reminders.) That being said, I didn’t have time to plan a topic, so I reached out to you all via my social media to see what you were curious about, and writer Hannah mentioned outlining. (Shout out to Hannah!) So, I thought I’d show you how I outline my books as best as I can. (Which, surprise, surprise, has turned into a HUGE post about how I chaotically write novels.) Enjoy…
Now it begins.
Typically, I start outlining the moment a character/scene/world comes to me. All books approach me a little differently, but I always start off…
(The above scene from ‘Into the Badlands’ is fairly violent.)
This is another post suggestion by Chelsea Ann Owens, but it is one that I’m not sure I fully understand. It was stated by someone that you can write a battle scene to clear out some writer’s block. Now, this might not be for everyone because it depends on the author. One who doesn’t know how or has any interest in fight scenes might get nothing from this advise. Still, I’ve been thinking about it and I came up with a few reasons why this might be true.
First, I want to point out that I’m talking about writing a fight scene specifically to get the creative juices in and the cobwebs out. It can be a throwaway scene that you do for a few minutes, part of your story, or an experiment to come back to later. The point of this post is to discuss how a fight scene can help and not why you should write stories that include them.
You don’t have to add dialogue if you don’t want to. This can be all description, which forces you to focus on the picture. As you progress, you may touch on various senses, which opens a mental door to a flowing narrative. The writer’s block can give you tunnel vision, so this expands your view. The use of exposition requires not thinking about a single voice of a character, unless first person POV, but the overall event and landscape that is unfolding.
Especially with melee combat, there is a flow that you need to consider. Every action requires a reaction and changes the next set of moves. You can’t have a character make a graceful leap over an enemy if the move beforehand was getting stabbed in both legs. Perhaps a dive to the side or blocking instead, but you’ve limited their agility. Outside of injuries, not every move can be moved into every other move. For example, a character delivering high kick puts their upper body away from the enemy, so you can’t easily get to a headbutt. They either have to lean forward and expose themselves for a brief moment or put something else in-between. This may be a little too specific for destroying writer’s block, but it helps you connect the details.
You can add dialogue and make it as corny and lame as you want. That writer’s block may be stopping you from writing anything deep, but you can circumvent that by staying on the surface. A fight is a fight and banter can define this just as much as the actual action. Witty banter and rejoinders can be challenging, but standard insults and threats in the middle of a fight are rather simplistic. In fact, it might come out so bad that you’re laughing and realizing that your usual level of work is better than you give yourself credit for.
Fight scenes can have excitement and give a little adrenaline rush if you really get into the action. This can help you get a mental and physical boost into diving into your other writing. Use it as an appetizer or an engine starter for 5 minutes even if you’re going to work on a more passive scene. After all, the key here isn’t to make something that is great and you’re going to use. The point of these fight scenes is to get over a creative hump.
Don’t even write the thing down . . . What? You heard me. Take a seat, close your eyes, put on some music, or whatever gets you in the mood. Then, imagine the fight scene unfolding. Try to pick up on details while it carries you along. Don’t resist what you see or feel because you’re depending on your subconscious taking the reins. Once you feel like you can do the writing that you want, open yours eyes and get to work.
Are these ideas helpful? Maybe. Fight scenes aren’t for everyone, so this might only appeal to a niche audience. Still, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try. Stepping out of your comfort zone could be another thing that gets rid of your writer’s block. Worst case scenario, just watch a fight scene on YouTube . . . Like below:
Hi gang, Craig here again with part two of my series on story structure. The Hero’s Journey isn’t the only structure, but it’s the most popular. That’s why I’m tackling it.
I layer the monomyth over three act structure. That’s a whole different sequence of posts, but nothing is exclusive here. This is just a lens to assess your story through. At this point, we’re coming to the end of Act One. This is the next step.
The First Threshold: This is the point of no return. Whether you have one character, some buddies, a mentor, etc, this is the step into the special world. Keep in mind it is not the big picture just yet. It’s only a taste.
This is the place for a commitment. A prophesy says that Harry Dresden must not seek the shroud of…
I haven’t done one of these in what feels like ages, so here are some great deals for you!
One Heart/One Heart for Two
First of all, and just in time for Mother’s Day, Marina Gioti is giving away her sweet book about the relationship between mothers and daughters, One Heart.
You have/are a son? No problem. Marina is also giving the sequel, One Heart for Two, away for free between May 5 and 9! Focusing on the relationship between mothers and sons, this is the perfect gift to your wife and son, your mom, your expecting bff, your bff who has a son… the list goes on.
So far, I’ve never attended a book fair, but will probably do so here in Greece. So, I found this guest post by Elaine Bennett of particular interest. I hope you, too, enjoy it! Elaine is a marketing specialist-turned blogger, currently writing for Bizzmark Blog. 
Image: Pixabay 
