Repost from UPAUTHORS.Com

From UPAUTHORS.COM  This blog always has good information.

Doubters vs. Authors

APRIL 4, 2014 BY RON KNIGHT

“The only thing I was fit for was to be a writer, and this notion rested solely on my suspicion that I would never be fit for real work, and that writing didn’t require any.” ~Russell Baker.

If you’ve been writing for more than two years, then you may have heard others tell you to get a real job, or that becoming a famous author isn’t possible unless you have great connections.

Keep in mind that those who never wrote anything in their lives do not understand what it takes to be an author. They can be jealous of your gift and attempt to break you down to their level.

All my life I’ve heard that I should “Punch a clock,” or “Get a real job,” or “Have a backup plan in case being an author doesn’t work out.”

Nevertheless, do you know what didn’t work out for me? Punching a clock. Getting a real job. Or doing anything other than being an author. You can only succeed by trusting your gifts.

“The wills of real writers are too strong to be subdued.” ~ Charles Dickens in Drood.

If you’re an author, then you cannot do anything else as a career. Some say that’s a curse, but I say it’s a gift from God. You are unique, special, and have the opportunity to benefit the lives of millions of people with your words.

Think about all the negativity that goes along with being an author:

~ Rejection letters from literary agents and publishers.

~ One bad review has more impact than five great reviews.

~ The pressure to write 90,000 perfect words in a story.

~ Marketing to an audience that doesn’t live anywhere near you.

~ Having to sell books to pay bills.

It can be a pressure filled life, but you should understand that by doing the right things as an author, you will succeed and keep the doubters away from you.

Tips on becoming an author while making a decent living:

~ Read 30-50 books a year. Make sure to read fiction, non-fiction, inspirational, marketing, business, or even books that are collecting dust on library shelves.

~ Write in quick bursting sessions. This could mean an hour, or just 15 minutes. You will produce a new book every 90 days and the story will read with lightning speed.

~ Focus on gaining 1,000 fans in a specific city that has your largest readership based on your storyline, character interaction, along with the city having a high population of mid to high income levels, and people that read 20-25 books a year. (See below for more.)

~ Invest $50 a month for marketing. Use $30 to locate your readers and $20 to go after those readers. (See marketing video for more information.)

~ Do the most important things each day. Schedule your time for reading, writing, marketing, and exercising.

~ Use Untraditional Publishing. This means that you will combine your unique talents with every type of publishing in order to succeed.

“Writing is an occupation in which you have to keep proving your talent to those who have none.” ~ Jules Renard.

Read, write, publish, market. Excelling in these areas will bring you a profitable career as an author and keep the doubters away…

Ron Knight

UP Authors First Chapter & Book Cover Challenge!

http://www.upauthors.com/contest/

The video that will change the way authors market books!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1Zrg8xyg8E&feature=youtu.be

Here is your 12 Month Marketing Plan for Authors! FREE BOOK!

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/400504

Which cities have your ideal fans? Ask MCS in Los Angeles. Website:http://montecarlosolutions.com/

Email: info@montecarlosolutions.com

Going Indie - don't whine.

Aw, Liberty Belle has had her first 5-day free session and is well pleased at the results.

So she is taking a few weeks of rest before her next promotion.

A CONTEST!

It's already started, but we'll talk more on that later. 

So what have I learned on my Indie adventure.

• Watch the grammar. If possible hire an editor. While most have enjoyed Liberty Belle, a few have been put off by grammar glitches. Yes, I do engage in comma abuse. Am working on it. Found an online site - Grammarly which I hope will help me better my grammar skills.
• Be gracious to all who comment and review.
• I am excited by the reviews and thrilled that readers are enjoying the story.

Now for the point of this post.  DON'T whine.

Indie authors are often not eligible for contests, book fairs, writer groups, can't get books in bookstores etc. Why, you might ask? Well, in all honesty, there are Indie books that aren't quite ready for public consumption. But then again the readers are able to figure that out for themselves.

Don't whine.

What separates Indie Authors from the old self-published stigma is that Indie authors have made a choice. No longer are we publishing because there was no hope of getting published unless we paid the big bucks and filled our garage with self-pubbed books.

Now, Indie Publishing can be a first choice. For very little money, we can put our books on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and they can sit online with the traditionally published books. 

Be excited about your book. Market and promote where you can. 

But don't whine.

In time, things will shake out. Indie Authors will come together and sites will be formed where readers can get quality Indie books. This is a new frontier in publishing. 

Hold your heads up Indie Authors and don't back down. 

Hone your craft and put out the best books you can.

AND DON'T WHINE.

Free Days are over - now what?

Liberty Belle did well in the Kindle Free list.

 She made it to the #3 spot on the Top 100 Free Kindle List.

I'm still amazed. 

Now? I'm watching the sales and library lends.

Not a landslide, but more than I have had before.

And I'm not letting grass grow under  my feet.

I started a new promotion. 

My 

Where is Liberty Belle Contest.

Win a Kindle Fire (or $200 Amazon Gift Certificate)

See Details here:

http://pacjaclibertybelle.blogspot.com/p/win-kindle-fire-contest-rules.html

And most importantly - I am working on the next book - Golden Dreams.

Due out in September.

Because when all is said and done with free days and promotions,

What stands is that I am a writer and that is what I do.

Liberty Belle is free today.

Thats right, I'm trying my first Kindle select Free days 

August 1 thru 5, 2012

How is going? I think good. We shall see what the end results are. 

Free Day tips so far

Have what you want to say and your links on your FB and twitter before you decide to post.

Have your FB groups and email loops lined up 

Respond to those who let you know they helped.

Keep a list so you can help them too.

Have fun.

I am sure I will learn more things as I go along and I'll let you know how it goes.

Liberty Belle is freestyling on Kindle August 1-5, 2012.
 Help her get into the top 100!

http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Belle-ebook/dp/B0086WMFES

Easy Marketing Tip #2

Easy Marketing Tip #2

Share your blog and make it easy for your followers to share it.
It's simple.

On blogger go to your dahsboard,
Go to Design.
Go to the big box titled Blog Posts.
Click Edit.
A box opens up and near the bottom is an option to Show Share Buttons.
Click it.
Hit save

Now whenever you or others visit your blog, to share with FB, Twitter of Google +
You only have to click the button.

Easy Buttons  : )

Marketing Tip - Amazon Affiliate

Amazon has a program called - Amazon Affiliate. Join it.
Then you can link your book to your website or blog and people can buy it from you.
BONUS - Amazon will pay you (I think it is 4%) for linking to your website.

Can't beat that!

It's simple to do. Just sign up.
Then you will see a gray bar above the Amazon pages for a book or whatever you want to link to.
To add your link, or that of a friends book you want to promote, you click on - Link to this page
You will get a code to put on your website.

Now people can buy your book from Amazon on your site.

Easy!

See - my book, Liberty Belle, is on the sidebar.

Happy writing, Indies.

Indie's that are poorly written

You've seen them.

The good news is anyone can get their book published.
The bad news is anyone can get their book published.

So - how do we distinguish those who have paid the dues and learned the craft? And does it matter?

As writers, we are ruined for reading. We know too much and see all the glitches, head hopping, tags that would be better as beats, the long chunks of backstory and info dumps in the first chapter.

Do readers see these things?

I'm not sure to what extent. I confess, I never even noticed the ### or skipped space for scene breaks much less understand what one was before I took up writing. But now...

On Kindle, most books seem to have the LOOK option so you can read at least the first chapter. In that time, one should be able to see what the writing style is like and if it is readable.

But what I am asking, is how can we help each other?
And do authors want any help?

I would guess that most of us don't have $2000 + to hire editors.

The best thing we can do is get together and encourage one another and share helpful links.
And time if someone wants advice.

Here is something that has really helped me. Autocrit
This site will show you overused words, phrases, and cliches.  Very useful.

I encourage everyone to hone the craft of writing. Join critique groups whether online or find writers in your area. Search for a mentor. Just because you can publish your book, doesn't mean it is ready.
Join writers groups such American Christian Fiction Writers  -ACFW

Strive for excellence. (And I say this as one who has thrown in the perfectionist towel). Your book will never be perfect, but work to get it as good as you possibly can before hitting the publish button.

Let's work together to put out well written books.


Don't forget to check out Autocrit. You can try it out for free.