Marketing your novel, Dreamers and Doers

cj Sez: This on Jane Friedman’s blog by author brand expert Andrea Guevara. “Writing a book and then promoting it can make authors feel a lot like that dorky kid in high school trying to get a seat at the cool kids’ table.” 

 (This from cj: Marketing is one of the hardest things for me to do. That necessary chore takes me way out of my comfort zone.)

Be Yourself So Your Readers Can Find You | Jane Friedman

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  I was feeling maudlin today and found myself thinking of my childhood and how far away yet near to my heart that special time was and is. What follows is a poem I wrote years ago that was ePublished by The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature in 2012. 

DREAMERS AND DOERS

In quiet times when past and present flow into one

Moment and melancholy dulls the senses and time ceases,

Memories steal me away to a place of tiny towns and meager farms

Worked by a few determined immigrants coaxing bounty from a dowry of hope.

A bundle of dreams wrapped in desert tan, banded by ribbons of

White caliche roads and faded asphalt highways,

Dotted with corn stalks,

Grain shocks

And monoliths to crude fortunes

That spill upon the land in clear pools

Or spout in unctuous streams.

 

I roam prairies where The West begins;

Where dust devils haunt wide-open spaces;

Where shimmering heat mirages join in gay dance,

Dodging prickly cactus and gnarly mesquite.

I wander pastures, skirting clods of Angus,

Me, age 3

Shielding my eyes from the livid sun

Punctuating a sky swept by mares’ tails

And little funnel clouds that spin around

The heavens but never touch down

Like the big ones do. 

Awash in twilight stands a child, 

Barefoot in the hard-scrabble dirt

At the edge of a cotton field,

Wearing a sun-faded dress

Handstitched from a cotton feedsack.

 

An ethereal landscape on a sepia canvas;

Where dusk brushes the sunset in smears

Of gold and purple and pink and mauve;

Where color drains into the horizon

With the sinking sun, applauded

By the throaty rumble of thunder

Chasing lightning through distant clouds

That only sometimes rain

But send breezes to winnow the dust

From the cool night air,

Where I shall sleep . . .

Under a canopy of stars.

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  As the masthead of Lyrical Pens says, if you have a book you want to promote, old or new, let me know. We can arrange a blog date for your book tour. The only caveat is that this site is PG 13.

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  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  Having a book to read is the perfect entertainment for those holiday and summer vacation downtime moments. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

➜ Follow me on        

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“Write what you know” means “write the truth”

cj Sez:  Writers are always looking for the magic formulas and rules to make their writing struggles easier. Eight rules on this, ten tips on that, three on the other. There are two rules that top them all:

 My take is, the more I familiarize myself with the different philosophies and “rules” of the various writing worlds (journalism, creative, non-fiction, et al.), the better I am able to write the truth about my characters, their personalities, and their worlds to make them authentic.
 
   In a way, I am world-building for my novel.
 
   Granted it's easier to write “what you know”—i.e. the truth—when we write about the people and places we know best. In my Death on the Yampa novel, the setting is Dinosaur National Monument and the Yampa River that runs through it. And yes, I once did a five-day white-water rafting trip there. Even with that familiarity, I had to do more research to make sure I had the dialogue and sites correct. (Memories are notoriously faulty.)

   The following excerpt is from regional writer Judy Alter who specializes in her familiarity with Texas.

. . . “setting a book in a particular region (doesn’t) make a writer regional. It’s essential that the author absorb the setting so that rather than obviously telling, such things as geography, culture, food, and manners flow naturally. Otherwise, the background looks like those fake sets in so many grade B westerns.” 
 
   I’ll take Judy Alter’s advice one step further: Regions are made up of cities and people, and to write the truth about a city and its characters means the writer also needs to absorb the city setting and its language. That’s why Elmore Leonard’s books are so Detroit-authentic.

   I could never consider myself a regional writer, though not by choice, but by happenstance. Born in Texas and raised in Michigan, I currently live on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. (I guess I could do a decent job of characterizations and syntax of Detroiters.) As a native Texan, I do populate almost every story with a character from Texas, and now that I live in Mobile, Alabama, I people-watch intently. I want my new characters to have some authentic Southern attributes.

   I know a slew of excellent authentic South-regional writers; I also know I’ll never be that good. Writing things Southern is its own genre. There’s a humor and a dialogue cadence that are peculiar (and I mean that in the nicest way) to the South.
 
   Whatever the genre (mystery, suspense, romance) or theme (cats, dogs, yoga, ecology) of the novel, the details of setting are an all-important facet of grabbing and holding a reader’s attention. How do you incorporate your setting and what you know into what you write?

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  Did you ever watch a movie or read a novel with so many visuals or words tumbling out at a rapid-fire pace that they left you breathless?
 
  If you’re an author who is self-publishing or a small publishing company, author, speaker, and former teacher Ellen Buikema has some advice on how “to keep sensory overload at bay.”
 
  Read more at https://writersinthestormblog.com/2020/03/white-space-in-writing/
 

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  By the by, as the masthead of Lyrical Pens says, if you have a book you want to promote, old or new, let me know. We can arrange a blog date for your book tour. The only caveat is that this site is PG 13.

§§

  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj
  

  Now some words from my sponsors:
 
  Beach? Mountains? StayCay? It’s time to plan for those holiday and summer vacation downtime moments when you can lose yourself in a book. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore.

Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.
  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

➜ Follow me on        
➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page
➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor
➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson
➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6
 

On-line troll reviews abound

cj Sez: Happy Father’s Day to all fathers, step-fathers, grandfathers, and adoptive fathers. And to all the fathers in heaven: You are dearly missed, every day. 

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From the Lyrical Pens Archives:

  A fellow writer was grieving and questioning what to do about a one-star review on Amazon that complained about something that wasn’t in her novel. Obviously, the reviewer hadn’t even read the book.

  One- and two-star reviews can be devastating, for future sales and for the author. Wherever there’s an opportunity to post a review, there will be trolls ready and waiting with low ratings—whether they’re warranted or not. I’ve seen reviews by people who purchased an item on Amazon then rated the product one star because they thought delivery took too long. Had nothing to do with the quality of the product.

  So where am I going with all this? It’s to reinforce why comments and reviews need to be put in perspective. Don’t let the naysayers persuade you that your work isn’t good. Hiding behind the computer keyboards of the Internet are nameless, faceless, and wretched on-line trolls. (Whew! I feel better now.)

  We can’t realistically expect all reviews to be five-stars (okay, we do, but that’s beside the point). I admit to having desperate pangs when someone dings a story. Yes, it skews the “average,” but then I re-read the good reviews that I do have (some posted, some not) and calm down a bit. 

  I remind myself that I cannot please every reader out there. There will always be someone who dislikes some characterization, challenges some datum, or is offended by piece of history. Always. Duh. That’s the reason there are a gazillion different stories in multiple genres for the gazillion different readers.

  If you receive a poor review from an on-line troll, consider the source, and please do not respond to the reviewer. That could dig a deeper, darker hole than you want to dive into. In the meantime, if you’re like me, you’ll console yourself with a treat.

 My favorite dessert: A hot fudge creampuff, with caramel pecan ice cream, and I have the recipe for those big, delicious creampuffs!

  Speaking of reviews: Have you taken a few minutes to give a one-line, on-line review for the latest book you read? You might be able to refute some troll.

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  On a personal note: My minivan finally gave up the ghost, and I had to get a new vehicle. Can’t imagine why it quit. It’s only 16 years old. I was hoping and praying it would last a few more years. My mechanic diagnosed the engine of the Town and Country as terminal in April, and I placed an order to lease a 2024 Chrysler Pacifica minivan in a deep blue color called “Fathom Blue Pearl.”

Thanks to son, Jeff, for the glamor shot.

  I picked it up Friday. It’s beautiful, and it's loaded—and I mean, really loaded—with all kinds of 21st-century electronic buttons and knobs on the instrument panel that I have no clue how to operate. 

  The first thing I needed to do was change the time on the clock—yet to be accomplished. I’ve always claimed to love learning new things (NOT computer things), so we’ll see if this vehicle beats me. (Ain’t gonna happen.)

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  By the by, as the invitation on the masthead of Lyrical Pens says, if you have a book you want to promote, old or new, let me know. We can arrange a blog date for your book tour…the only caveat is that this site is PG 13.

§§

  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

  Now some words from my sponsors:

  Father’s Day Gifts—Lyrical Pens suggests books, the gifts that keep on giving, and there are thousands to choose from in all their favorite genres.

  Beach? Mountains? StayCay? It’s time to plan for those holiday and summer vacation downtime moments when you can lose yourself in a book. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore.

Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

➜ Follow me on       

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

The magic of editing

cj Sez: I'm sure I've told you this before, but the story never gets old. Did you ever open a book, read a few chapters (or even a few lines), then discover errata, i.e.; those typos and misspellings that drive a pedantic like me up a wall. One or two will make me shake my head; gremlins happen. A lot of them will stop me in my tracks.

 

 Perhaps it comes down to the time it takes to do a detailed copy edit vs. getting the book on the market as fast as possible.

(Copy editing is the process of reviewing and correcting written material to improve accuracy, readability, and fitness for its purpose, and to ensure that it is free of error, omission, inconsistency, and repetition.)

  Speaking from experience, self-edits and beta readers don’t catch everything that a professional copy editor will.

  When I was gainfully employed, one of my report/column-writing rules was to get as many people as possible to read the document for accuracy and gremlins. The more eyes on it the better the end product. That wasn’t easy to do as I was always on the clock to deliver the corporation’s news via electronic distribution by eleven a.m. every day, and reading my work wasn’t on the top of someone else’s to-do list.

  That bit about the more eyes? The same thing is true for an author’s manuscript. But first, I, me, personally, do extensive self-edits. I want my manuscript to be the best I can make it before I pass it off to someone else. 

  I read the document on the computer screen then print a few pages and edit them in ink. (The font looks slightly different on the printed page and gremlins tend to show up better.) 

  Next I read the pages out loud. It’s amazing how quickly I’ll find the missing comma, period, or quotation mark that I keep overlooking, and, more importantly, I’ll also discover confusing narrative and awkward dialogue. 

  After all that, I can be sure there is still a gremlin to be found by my editor.

  My advice to authors: Don’t presume that because you’ve typed “The End,” your manuscript is finished. It’s probably weeks if not months away from publication. It needs fresh eyes. It’s a personal and financial consideration for each author, but please consider hiring a copy editor if you can afford it.  

  Caveat: Expect that if your manuscript is accepted by a publisher, their punctuation rules for how they want their publication to look may differ from your copy editor’s input. There could be, probably will be, more changes to be made.

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Readers and Writers: Titles for your stack of have-to-read books

Buy Callahan now

  Book 5 of Rebecca Barrett’s Cat Callahan Mystery series is now available. 

  Here’s an excerpt of a 5-star Amazon review for CAT CALLAHAN AND THE SPY: 

  “Loved the mystery, the characters had me laughing and seeing a mystery solved through the eyes of a cat, well that is always an intriguing experience. A thoroughly enjoyable read.”

 

  And mark your calendar to watch for the third book in Carrie Dalby’s Washington Square Secrets series. 

  From Dalby’s author page: “WASHINGTON SQUARE SECRETS is a historical Southern Gothic series with a paranormal/parapsychology slant by Carrie Dalby. Rather than an ongoing saga, Washington Square Secrets consists of stand-alone novels with the Mobile, Alabama, neighborhood and overlapping characters in common. Return to old Mobile–or visit for the first time–and get to know the charm and hostilities within this bay front city with small town vibes. LOYALTY: WASHINGTON SQUARE SECRETS 3 releases August 27, 2024.”

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  By the by, as the masthead of Lyrical Pens says, if you have a book you want to promote with a blog, let me know. We can arrange a date. The only caveat is that this site is PG 13.

§§

  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours. P.S. I sure do hope there are no gremlins in this post.)

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  Father’s Day is coming up—Lyrical Pens suggests books, the gift that keeps on giving.

  Beach? Mountains? StayCay? It’s time to plan for those holiday and summer vacation downtime moments when you can lose yourself in a book. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore. Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us 

➜ Follow me on        

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6

Word Usage: Six of one, half dozen of another

cj Sez: I was doing some more rabbit hole searches to confirm a word usage in my work-in-progress and found tons of instances of questionable word usage. Inspired by a recent Facebook meme friend posted, today I’ll share a few examples of what I found—because I have to admit to being a bit of a grammar nerd.

(p.s. The result verbiage are excerpts from the various internet sources.)

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Further and farther

People often use both further and farther to mean “more distant.”

Further can be an adverb, an adjective, or a verb, meaning “additional.”

Further as a verb: “He’d do anything to further his own interests at the company.”

Farther means “at or to a greater distance” and cannot be used as a verb.

In Salt to the Sea, Ruta Sepetys says: “And some boats, like me, seemed to float farther and farther from land.”

Are further and farther impossible to tell apart from one another? If you remember that only further can mean “moreover,” you shouldn’t have much difficulty.

Than and then

The word than is used for comparisons to show who or what something is compared against. For example, “cats are smarter than dogs.” The word then is used to show time, as in “at that time” or “after that happened.” For example, “I exercised then took a shower.”

Past and passed

Past refers to time or events that have already happened, while passed is the past tense of the verb pass and is used to indicate completed actions or events. For example, “She finally passed the driving test, leaving all her doubts in the past.”

This and that

This, that, these, and those are demonstratives. We use this, that, these and those to point to people and things. This and that are singular. These and those are plural. We use them as determiners and pronouns.

Versus vs. verses

Versus is a preposition that refers to comparing two or more things or being against something. There are many advantages of a gasoline car versus a diesel car (and now we have to also compare both of those versus an electric or hybrid car).

Verses is a noun that refers to the lines of a poem or song. It is the plural form of the word verse. The verses of the poem “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth are eternally famous and enjoyable.

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Stephen King: “Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent.”

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  Okay, that’s it for today. You-all guys keep on keeping on, and I’ll try to do the same. Raising prayers for a happy and safe you and yours.

cj

Now some words from my sponsors:

  Beach? Mountains? StayCay? It’s time to plan for those holiday and summer vacation downtime moments when you can lose yourself in a book. THE DAWGSTAR and DEATH ON THE YAMPA are available on Amazon or through your favorite eTailer and bookstore.

Got a library card? You can read the ebooks free from Hoopla.

  Nota bene: Angela Trigg, the RITA Award-winning author and owner of The Haunted Book Shop has a few signed copies of my paperback books in stock. TO ORDER, contact: https://www.thehauntedbookshopmobile.com/contact-us

➜ Follow me on        

➜ Amazon:    Amazon Central Author Page

➜ Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CjPettersonAuthor

➜ BookBub:   https://www.bookbub.com/authors/cj-petterson

➜ Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3fcN3h6