Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engineBlog (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

How Novelists Can Benefit from Using Cinematic Scene Structure:  http://ow.ly/10Dwyp @CSLakin

“Mothers are perfect only in fiction”:  http://ow.ly/10Dz8w @Tracy_Chevalier

The True Story Behind the Legendary “Lost Ending” of The Shining: http://ow.ly/10DCNh @steveajohnson

Fixing Episodic Plots:  http://ow.ly/10DwOV @NovelEditor

Writers from @NewYorker  Remember Prince:  http://ow.ly/4n1bWd @huahsu @emilynussbaum @asarahlarson @amandapetrusich

Defining horror:  http://ow.ly/10DCWs  @orringrey      Continue reading

LinkedIn Tip for Writers

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigA quick LinkedIn Tip for Writers by Elizabeth Spann Craig

Lately I’ve been spending time brushing up my LinkedIn profile.  I wrote about my progress in March.  One thing I like about this platform is that I don’t have to spend much time there.  I can keep elements current and then basically leave the profile alone.

I’ve searched for tips that help optimize my page, since I’ve always been somewhat at a loss on LinkedIn.  It’s not exactly a social site, but it’s not exactly a place where we upload a static resume and leave it alone.

I recently read an article by  on PC World: “The one LinkedIn profile tip everyone should know: Use Work Samples to show off your achievements.” The author seemed to have freelance writers in mind.  But I wondered if I could adapt the tip to make it work for published books instead of articles.

Campbell explained that linking to work samples would not only give evidence of authority but would also make the page more visually appealing and interesting. That’s because it would populate our LinkedIn profile with images (most articles these days, obviously, have images at the top).

There are several areas on our profile where we can add these work samples/images: Summary, Experience, and Education.  Alex Campbell recommended that we definitely include samples in our Summary section, since it was near the top of the page and would be eye-catching.

I tried a few different things, but because of the way the LinkedIn page is set up, images didn’t attach. For instance, I tried uploading a sample chapter from My Documents, but it didn’t allow me to upload a cover separately.  I was just getting a text box thing on there.

I finally hit gold when I tried linking to a Kindle Preview link.  As a bonus, I could add in my Amazon Affiliate ID to create the link.  If you’re unfamiliar with Kindle Preview, it’s easy to set up.  I detail how to do that in this January post.  Basically, it’s a matter of clicking on the “embed” link under the “buy now/give as a gift” box on your book page on Amazon, and then copy-pasting the link (or adding in your ID code and copy-pasting the link, if you’re an Affiliate).

I pasted the URL in the box on the LinkedIn page.  Right underneath, it gives us the opportunity to add a title and description, which I did. I hit “add to profile,” and held my breath.  It worked!  It added a nice visual to the page and clicking the visual takes  readers to Amazon’s sample.  Readers can preview without having to log into Amazon.

LinkedIn Post--2nd post

I thought adding all of my books was, well, probably impossible  or at least would make it too crammed on the page. It might be nice, for those of us who write more than one series, for us to divide our the Experience section into series somehow and add the covers (or some of them) for each individual series.  For instance, I divided my two series with Penguin by imprint (“employers”)  and added covers for each.  My self-published series goes under Midnight Ink, since the series started with them.

This is one of those things that really only takes a few minutes, but makes a nice difference, visually.

Any other LinkedIn tips?

A LinkedIn tip for writers: Click To Tweet

An Update on a Pre-order Experiment

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraigUpdate on a preorder experiment

Last year, I decided to try listing a book as a  pre-order. That’s to say, I decided to try out a pre-order for my self-published series.  My trad-published books had long been offered for pre-ordering, but that wasn’t anything I had any control over.

I remember, years ago, on the trad-published email loops I was on, authors were concerned about pre-ordering. Specifically, they were concerned that the books would ship early, retailers would put them out early, customers would purchase early, and then the pre-orders wouldn’t count toward the title’s release day. This would mess up their chances with the New York Times list, either extended or short.

I was never very worried about the list.  I don’t know anyone who finds their books that way, so to me it seemed like more of an ego thing or maybe a bragging rights thing.

But what I am worried about is confused readers.  And what I can tell you is that my pre-order for a future Myrtle book has resulted in some confused readers.Continue reading

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engineBlog (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

8 Ways Creative Types Can Increase Focus And Productivity:  http://ow.ly/10nz2d  @colleen_m_story

How to Develop the Discipline of a Professional Writer:  http://ow.ly/10nyV6 by Brian DeLeonard

Setting as Character:  http://ow.ly/10nzjO @judithkeim

3 Top Tips For Delivering A Sensational Speech:  http://ow.ly/10nzb0 @Writers_Write

How to Take Charge of Your Novel’s Symbolism:  http://ow.ly/10nyZc @BetterNovelProj

10 Tips to Pitch Your Book to Review Bloggers:  http://ow.ly/10pcVn @missriki

The Pros and Cons of Offering Preorders:  http://ow.ly/10pdbu @ceciliaedits

Hero Archetypes:  http://ow.ly/10pdzl @kylieday0

How not to talk about African fiction:  http://ow.ly/10pdL6 @brittlepaper

Emotional Wounds Thesaurus: Being Raised by Overprotective Parents: http://ow.ly/10pe02 @beccapuglisi

Write What You Love and Still Sell:  http://ow.ly/10pe6T  @Rachel_Aaron

15 Instagram Book Marketing Ideas from Publishers:  http://ow.ly/10pecT @DianaUrban

How to Title Your WIP (video):  http://ow.ly/10pdph @Ava_Jae

The easy way to launch a book (with a list):  http://ow.ly/10pel5 @Creativindie

Adding Humor to Our Writing Using The Rule of 3: http://ow.ly/10pcI7  @cyleyoung

Why you shouldn’t pull all-nighters:  http://ow.ly/10pdGC @pubcoach

How to Rock Out on Goodreads: http://ow.ly/10pcR0 @Bookgal

The Most Dangerous Writing App Lives Up To Its Name: http://ow.ly/10nyDi @helpfulsnowman

Why Traditional Publishing Takes So Long:  http://ow.ly/10lHUm @sjaejones

Learning from Failed Movies:  http://ow.ly/10nyGv @dougeboch

Creating a Supporting Cast of Characters:  http://ow.ly/10nyjJ @AJHumpage

Sell More Books in More Formats in More Territories:  http://ow.ly/4mJzYO #IAF16  @Thecreativepenn @pbackwriters @tobymundy

The Future of Publishing: 7 things an Author Must Know: http://ow.ly/4mJzpE @JaneFriedman @IndieAuthorALLI #IAF16

The Trouble With Reactive Protagonists:  http://ow.ly/10lH8E @Janice_Hardy

Reader-based: on Virginia Woolf and writing a novel readers will read:  http://ow.ly/4mJxDf  @lynnsstrong  @CatapultStory

The Basic Author Platform:  http://ow.ly/4mJrEk

Tropes in Literature: ‘This is My Story’ Openings:  http://ow.ly/10lHGz by Melinda Brasher

4 Reasons Most Authors Fail at Book Marketing:  http://ow.ly/10nymU @RachelintheOC

9 Reasons To Index-Card Your Manuscript:  http://ow.ly/10nyoR @NatePhilbrick

What Works & What Doesn’t: ‘Citizen Kane’:  http://ow.ly/10nyuI @chris_shultz81

How to Write a Novella: 6 Essential Tips:  http://ow.ly/10nyzs @nownovel

5 Questions New Writers Ask:  http://ow.ly/10nytc @monicamclark

Elements that give crime fictions series longevity: http://ow.ly/4mIWBt @mkinberg

Translation as Activism:  http://ow.ly/4mIWah @OliviaSnaije @pubperspectives

10 Ways To Write a Self-Rejecting Query to a Blogger, Agent or Publisher:  http://ow.ly/4mITqP @annerallen

Tricks for writing fast-paced action scenes:  http://ow.ly/10lHoY @RayneHall

How To Write Like J.K. Rowling:  http://ow.ly/10lHgY @Chris_Kokoski

An Author Shares her Top 10 Items For a 2016 Marketing Plan:  http://ow.ly/4mHDNV @mollygreene

7 Vibrant Publishing Markets:  http://ow.ly/10EOP3 @erinlcox @pubperspectives

The Pathetic Fallacy Made Flesh: Edgar Allan Poe’s “Fall of the House of Usher”:  http://ow.ly/10lI0t  @r_emrys @AnneMPillsworth

Stairway to (copyright) Heaven:  http://ow.ly/10EsGI @PassiveVoiceBlg @VolokhConspirac by David Post

How Writers Can Create Continuity in Showing the Passing of Time:  http://ow.ly/10iU4M @CSLakin

Life Problems Only Writers Understand:  http://ow.ly/10iUND @DianeDeMasi

A look at the success of @OpenRoadMedia and @JaneORIM in maximizing backlists:  http://ow.ly/10ENRg  @chgreig @Porter_Anderson

3 Common Qualities for Science Fiction Lovers:  http://ow.ly/10iUnv @PeevishPenman

Kobo Expands Kobo Writing Life Services:  http://ow.ly/10EsyN @DigiBookWorld @KoboWritingLife

Post apocalyptic or Post-apocalyptic or Postapocalyptic?  http://ow.ly/10iUzh @PeevishPenman

A site that helps children’s lit and YA writers find agents:  http://ow.ly/10EuMe @LyndaRYoung

The Writing Lessons of Hamilton:  http://ow.ly/10lHRc  @theladygreer

Supernaturally Dysfunctional Towns:  http://ow.ly/10lI7d @tvdotcom

Settings and the Romantic Novel:  http://ow.ly/10lHvP  @Ella_Carey @romanceuniv

Tropes In Literature: Mr. Exposition and Captain Obvious:  http://ow.ly/10lHMW by Melinda Brasher

Initials in Author Names:  http://ow.ly/10lIby @DebbieYoungBN

Sourcing and using photos for self-pubbed books:  http://ow.ly/10lIe4 @writerjeangill

10 Great Teens In Contemporary Fiction: A Reading List http://ow.ly/10lHcR @JonLeeWriter

A blog dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial & ethnic diversity:  http://ow.ly/10DICJ

Imperative character questions:   http://ow.ly/10DzJJ @wendypmiller

“On Prescribing Poems for the Sick, the Dying, the Grief Stricken”:  http://ow.ly/10iV1D

@ronnabloom @thelithub

How to write several narrators and make them sound distinct:  http://ow.ly/10DwZd @Roz_Morris

How to Attend Online Author Conference Indie Author Fringe this Friday:  http://ow.ly/10DwBA  @IndieAuthorALLI

10 Questions About The Authority Figures That Can Beef Up Your Conflict:  http://ow.ly/10iUhg @10minnovelist

The Self-Hating Book Critic:  http://ow.ly/10iV92 @thebookslut @coppernickel

5 Steps to Great Cover Art:  http://ow.ly/10iUeP @jayonaboat

How to Write a Novella:  http://ow.ly/10iU7m @EvaDeverell

1 Key Question for Worldbuilding: http://ow.ly/10iU1E @HeatherJacksonW

How to Declutter Your Writing Ideas and Finish More Projects:  http://ow.ly/10iUJa @danasitar

192 Publications That  Pay Freelance Writers:  http://ow.ly/10iUGa @marisoldahl

Working For Exposure:  http://ow.ly/10g2ZP @jimchines

Writing a Novel Within a Novel:  http://ow.ly/10g2Lu by  Yona Zeldis McDonough

Writing YA: Reflecting the Emotional Age of the Reader: http://ow.ly/10g1J8 @MJDougherty33

Spring Ahead: Poets’ Close Relationship to the Season:  http://ow.ly/10zfBz @Poetrywithc @PoetryFound

Why Your Story is Getting Rejected: Language: http://ow.ly/10g2Sl @ChelseaLHenshey

102 Indispensable Works of Literary Criticism:  http://ow.ly/10g2hY @jrc2666 @thelithub

After self-pubbing: book promo:  http://ow.ly/10g37D @Bookgal

Tips for drafting a plot:  http://ow.ly/10g33C by Kathy Edens

Common Sense Marketing:  http://ow.ly/10g2yC  @PBRWriter

The right way to torture our characters:  http://ow.ly/10g2Vw  @Brianna_daSilva

A Panster’s Guide to Planning:  http://ow.ly/10e4Wg @tmtysinger

Another way to monetize ebooks:  http://ow.ly/10z9bT  @jwikert

Can’t get to #LBF16 ? Follow @Porter_Anderson for the play-by-play on this important conference.

Some indie bookstores found new ways to improve online print sales:  http://ow.ly/10z8R3 @Judith2dogs @PublishersWkly

Free, downloadable magazine on worldwide rights opportunities: http://ow.ly/10zwTF @hannahsjohnson @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Do Artists Still Find Inspiration in Literature?  http://ow.ly/10g2cR by Catherine Talese @VOLTAshow

How to Use Life Experience to Write Better:  http://ow.ly/10e4GB by Reagan Colbert

The Unfunny Plight of Women in Comics:  http://ow.ly/10zeDU @OliviaSnaije @pubperspectives

5 Books with Snarky Magicians: http://ow.ly/10e4O8 @DanKoboldt

9 Free Tools That Can Help Build Buzz for a Book:  http://ow.ly/10e4Nk @DianaUrban

Showing vs. Telling: Character Emotion:  http://ow.ly/10e4WO @ceciliaedits

Welcome Spring with a @StoryTellers10 Cozy Mystery Giveaway. Enter to win 35+ great books: http://bit.ly/CozySpring

Picking a Category to Write In:  http://ow.ly/10e50p @Kid_Lit

Give Your Latest Book a Boost With Home Page Branding:  http://ow.ly/10e4Ms  @cksyme

Writing in two categories and querying agents:  http://ow.ly/10e4Zv @Janet_Reid

At Home in Deaf Culture: Storytelling in an Un-Writable Language:  http://ow.ly/10xSqV @NovicSara

The What, Why, and How of Author Platforms:  http://ow.ly/10e4Yg @JasonGracia

7 Steps to a Happy Revision:  http://ow.ly/10cWso @j_s_brown

A publisher with tips for submissions and queries: http://ow.ly/10w9FQ @SpunkOnAStick

Resources for Writers: Ink Pageant:  http://ow.ly/10wnqI @AlexJCavanaugh

Lies & Secrets: The Lifeblood of Great Fiction:  http://ow.ly/10cWmg @KristenLambTX

6 Well-Meant (but Bad) Pieces of Writing Jargon:  http://ow.ly/10e4Xc @HistoireLolita

Will Work For Hire Hurt my Novel? http://ow.ly/10e51v @Janet_Reid

Public Speaking Hacks for Writers:  http://ow.ly/10e4Py @Chris_Kokoski

Confessions of a Reluctant Memoirist:  http://ow.ly/10e4IX @LucasWMann @thelithub

Revision method: rewriting:  http://ow.ly/10e4HR from The Character Comma

What Does Your Genre’s Theme Promise to Readers? http://ow.ly/10cWiU @JamiGold

Publishers’ Rights Corner at Frankfurt Book Fair:  http://ow.ly/10sDAr @Porter_Anderson

Music for Writers: David Harrington: “There Is No Such Thing As Easy Music”:  http://ow.ly/10vsmu @kronosquartet @porter_anderson

5 Twitter Tips for Publishers and Writers:  http://ow.ly/10vshP  @Porter_Anderson @IngramSpark

Crime fiction: when sleuths don’t work well with others: http://ow.ly/10u7eb @mkinberg

9 Ways to Improve Your Poetry:  http://ow.ly/10cW9o from Citysqwirl

6 Ways To Spring Clean Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/10cWt9 @adearinthewoods

How to Write a Great (and Not Schmaltzy) Love Scene:  http://ow.ly/10cWow @JRHwords

Why stories need themes:  http://ow.ly/10cWeT @thisgirlclimbs

The popularity of books on the ‘female lived experience’:  http://ow.ly/10cVYJ @wrightallison

Writing Fan Fiction Can Prepare Us for Becoming an Author:  http://ow.ly/10cWqm  @AshleyHearn

The top writing links of last week are on Twitterific: Click To Tweet

The Basic Author Platform

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

The Basic Author Platform

I’ve made a lot of marketing and social media mistakes, especially when I was just starting out.

And since the author who inspired this post is just starting out…I’m not going to reveal his identity.  I did love his debut novel–there were parts that made me laugh out loud, which is unusual for me, as a reader.

I decided I’d give him a little publicity, if I could.  He was already getting great reviews on Amazon, so I thought I’d find him online, find a worthy blog post, and send out a tweet or two.

You probably know where this is going.

So…I started out at Amazon, which has (somewhat sadly) become a hub of author info.  And…yep, his author page wasn’t filled out.  So he wasn’t on Amazon Author Central.  The publisher (his is a trad-published book) did a good job with everything else on the book page, but he wasn’t there.Continue reading

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