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March 19, 2015 + advice, Author, literature, Publishing, Writing

Marketing Your Book

“Marketing is a big one! I’d love to know more about that. My book will be free for all, so I’m trying to figure out how best to handle that. But that’s a very specific situation.”

-Thesarahdoughty

Excellent question.

So you mentioned that your book is going to be free… personally I always say that if you’re good at something, don’t do it for free, but that’s up to you. If your goal is simply to get your name out there and your first work is the sacrificial lamb to accomplish this goal, all power to you. Just remember that once it’s out there, it’s out there permanently and if you change your mind, it could hurt your sales.

But that’s not the advice you came here for, is it?

So marketing… well since your book is free, I’d suggest going the free route. As any good economist would tell you ‘an investment with no return is a poor investment.’ (Which is probably why people hate paying taxes so much these days!)

In the book industry, there are 5 words that sum up marketing; Word of Mouth is Everything.

So how do you spread the word? Well the good news is that you’re already halfway home. You’ve got your blog going. Refer back to My Interesting Blog on how to help spread that around. Other than that, if you’ve noticed, on the left hand side of my blog page, there is a link to my books’ Facebook page, The Creative Works of James Harrington. On that page are links to where to buy my books as well as links to this page and my twitter account. You’ll want to link any page you create so that what appears on one will appear on them all. Personally, I use this blog as my flagship page because it’s easiest to create posts here and have them flow to places like Facebook and Twitter. In addition, you want to link every page you create to where your book is available.

A site that has helped me gain a following is known as Copromote . There, I use my twitter account to spread word about other people’s work and they do the same with mine. It is a way to get your book a much wider exposure. Also, ask that your readers leave reviews about your book. The more positive reviews, the more appealing your book will be.

BookCrossing.com is another site to help advertise your book. I have tried it, though with not a ton of success, but I have heard that others make it work.

Make sure to create yourself a profile either here, amazon, or somewhere else. You’ll notice that my books’ Facebook page, in a way is my profile. It has info about me up there as well.

What to avoid:

Well… really I’d be careful about any paid advertising, there are many out there that are reputable, but also many that aren’t. I’d also recommend avoiding using the paid promotion Facebook offers. Many people have said this before, and I feel the same way; using that tool will get your page a lot of likes, but few sales.

Finally, start early, like before you’ve published your book tell people about it, what to expect from it, but keep your audience as bay. Some people say 1-3 years, but I’d say 6-8 months would suffice. People don’t have very long attention spans these days.

I hope that this was helpful, Sarah! If you have any further questions on marketing or would like me to elaborate on anything a little more, don’t hesitate to send me an email.

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.
Please note, I only do one of these a day and will do my best to respond to everyone, but it may take some time.

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

March 18, 2015 + advice, fantasy, Fiction, literature, non-fiction, Writing

Horror Roots

by Jim

“…They say that horror comes from the uncanny. The evil things lurking in the backs of our minds. Those creatures seldom compare to the torments that insecurity and shyness impose upon their respective victims, do they?”

-Bad Nog

Hi Bad Nog,

Phew… quite a loaded question. Now we’re getting into the psychology of evil. Are their demons worse than the ones they inflict? Well to answer that, let’s take a look into what causes evil. What makes bad people tick? Well, I’ve touched on this a little in the past, but we can certainly delve into it a little more.

First, let’s take a look at the different types of bad guy…

The sociopath: This is one of the most common bad guys we know. The classic bad guy who is bad because… well why not? There is no rhyme or reason to his madness, he likes pain and he likes inflicting it on others. Not much else to it. Maybe there are a few screws loose, maybe not.

The philosophical bad guy: This is usually a more learned bad guy. We’ve seen this a couple of times more recently. This is the bad guy who has studied the human condition, psychology and philosophy, and is often extremely intelligent. Over time, after years of research or experience, he’s come to the conclusion that he has to be evil to maintain so preconceived notion of balance. It doesn’t really seem like this bad guy enjoys what he’s doing and may often regret it, but to him, the evil is a means to an end.

The bad guy of circumstance: So this is a bad guy who has a justified reason for it. Often, this is the bad guy that most sympathize with. They’re most of the time not rotten to the core. They’re doing what they’re doing to save someone or something they care about. People often gravitate towards this type of bad guy because they’re the most realistic and most people could see themselves in this circumstance if the situation was right.
Now there are some out there who would criticize such a bad guy. They’d say that there is always a choice and while that’s true, when someone you care about is suffering, or could be hurt or killed, and the devil is standing there offering a deal, it’s not so easy to turn it down.

The victimized villain: This is someone who was not always evil, probably wouldn’t be evil if their life had taken a different course (which brings up nature vs. nurture), but unfortunately has seen horrors throughout their existence that have conditioned them to this point. Perhaps they are driven by revenge, mad at the world for being tortured or watching a loved one die. Perhaps they’ve been psychologically tormented to the point where their mind is twisted.

The narrative villain: This is the bad guy I take the most issue with. Think Javert from Les Miserables or pretty much any law enforcement officer in a gangster movie. Essentially, he’s the villain for no other reason than the author has decided to make the bad guy the ‘moral right’ in the story. So basically it sucks to be the real good guy.

So let’s take into account all of the above and go back to your original question are their demons as bad as the ones they impose on their victims. Unfortunately, all I can say is maybe… because it really depends. You have to look at what kind of damage the villain is doing vs. the damage that has been done to them.

If we’re talking about one villain and one victim, then we need to look at the mental demons that the bad guy is suffering from and are they worse than the ones being inflicted?

Keep in mind, this is not to try to justify actions or let a villain off the hook. I’ve always been a proponent of holding people responsible for their actions. This is simply to explain the why.

Anyway, I hope that answers your questions Bad Nog. Good luck with your writing!

-Jim

Readers,

Thanks friends!
Catch you on the flip side!

March 17, 2015 + advice, Author, blog, write, Writing

My Interesting Blog

by Jim

“Hello
I began writing my blog a bit more than a month ago and I’m writing fiction. I chose to write it publicly on wordpress mainly because I’m a bit insecure about my writing and I want some honest advice and feedback from people who aren’t my family.
Maybe you could give me some advice on how to make myself (or my blog) more interesting or presentable so that I’d be able to attract more people?”

-Minxed.

Well early bird catches the worm. Thank you, Minxed for being the first to ask a question.

So this is the big money question when it comes to blogging. How do you get people interest? What makes the successful blogs so successful… well… hard work. Blogging is like doing charity work. You get out what you put in. If you just write, post, and forget, you’re not going to get very far. To blog, is to be a part of a community of people with different opinions, goods, ideas, and thoughts to share. Once you’ve posted your own work, go out, check out some other blogs, give someone an opinion, offer advice, or give some criticism in the comment fields. I often like to share stores that other people write as a way to help boost their audience. That’s a really good way of building your community and it will attract people to take a look at what you’ve got going on.

In terms of actual blog appearance and content, the best advice I can give to make people want to come to your blog is to offer something new. If you do book reviews, do something off of the beaten path. Perhaps a little known indie author, or something you read on another blog, perhaps. If you’re just straight up writing and creating a story that you want to share with the world, congratulations, you’re already half way there. Not everyone can do what you do and that will make your blog more unique.

Personally, I’d recommend having the first couple of chapters written and polished BEFORE submitting the first one. When I submitted one of my stories on this blog… granted I never finished the story, but when I started, I made sure I had two chapters written ahead of the ones I was posting.
Another thing I’d recommend is to spruce up your page a little. Right now, you have one of the basic designs that wordpress offers. I’d consider adding images and creating a background. If you have any skill with paints and a brush, you should have no problem creating something you can use.
If not, there are plenty of free/public domain images available on the web.

Another thing that always catches the eye is the cover. Don’t just post the story without a cover. When I check out stories to read under the Reader section of wordpress, the stories that I give preference to are the ones that have an attractive cover. I know the old adage says ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ and that’s very true, but you’re more likely to draw your readers in with an awesome looking cover as a featured image. Below is an example of the cover to my book, which I used as the featured image of any post related to this book’s release.

Cover design by Brett Warniers!

Hiring an artist for $200-$400 may seem daunting, but if you’re really into it, a great design will make all the difference.

Readers, what do you think? Do you agree with my advice and/or do you think that there is more Minxed can do to attract readers? Leave a comment below and let me know.

Minxed, if you have any further questions or would like me to elaborate on the above points, please feel free to email me:
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com

Thanks friends, catch you on the flip side,

Jim

Readers,

Do you have a question about writing, publishing, my stories, etc? Please feel free to post a comment or email me.
jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com
I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

March 17, 2015 + advice, fantasy, Fiction, Help, non-fiction, topics, Writing

Need advice on a certain topic?

by Jim

Hello all, so as time goes on, my advice blog is getting bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, as with all things, you run out of topics to give advice on. If anyone has any questions about writing, publishing, my stories, etc. etc. please feel free to post a comment or email me at jimthewritingwizard@gmail.com . I’ll use those comments to select my next blog post.

I have been writing for several years, have 4 published works, experience with publishing and independent work, so I can hopefully be of assistance.

Note: I only write blog pieces once a day, so I may not be able to get to them all, but if I don’t feel free to repost them and I’ll try to respond personally.

Thanks friends, catch you on the flip side!

Jim

March 17, 2015 + advice, Author, Characters, fantasy, Science Fiction, write, Writing

Author’s Advice pt. 14

by Jim

Choosing to write characters that you hate into your story is a very bad idea.

In a previous posting I talked about how you have to step outside of your comfort zone and often write a character that has views contrary to your own. Indeed this is a very good way of creating relate-able characters and keeping a dynamic story line going. However, that doesn’t mean you have to write a character that you don’t like.

Think about it, most everyone out there has friends with viewpoints that differ from their own. You don’t dislike that person for their views, you simply disagree with them. Well it’s the same thing when creating a character, you can create a character with views that you don’t agree with, without despising that character.

A lot of my readers have commented on how they can’t stand it when people write characters that they hate or at the very least don’t care about and continuously put them through unspeakable horrors that no one would realistically make it through unscathed, if at all. Given the amount of comments I got on this, I felt that a post dealing with this topic was inevitable, so thank you!

I myself have been guilty of this in the past. One of my early stories featured a villain that was based on a guy I went to college with. He was someone who was a few years older than me, completely paranoid about anyone who spoke to his girlfriend, and had one too many character flaws that were just intolerable. I locked horns with this person too many times and really came to absolutely despise them. So, like many other writers, I thought the traits he possessed, his character flaws, and outright disdain was perfect for a villain.

I was wrong…

Every time I wrote, I pictured his face and it made my blood boil. The result was a dark and bitter story that not even the most manic-depressive teenager would enjoy. I read through it once and immediately tore it up. That’s not how I wanted to write, not at all. I knew I was better than that.

The worst part is that the people who write this way and don’t realize what they’re doing, don’t seem to understand that their readers pick up on this kind of thing. Readers are very good about detecting when someone is writing with disdain and it doesn’t leave a good impression. I’ve known people who stopped reading stories because of things like this.

The inherent problems with this method of writing are as follows…

1. The writer doesn’t care about this character and tends to not give them much of a back story, making the character stale and uninteresting.

2. The amount of pain and suffering that a writer puts that character through usually hints at a very misanthropic attitude, whether that’s accurate or not, that’s how it comes off.

3. The character is unrealistic. Though I hate to make this reference, go watch IT, and keep a very close eye on the character Henry Bowers.

I know in the book he’s probably given more explanation and that’s fine, but if you’ve read it, try to look at the movie objectively like you haven’t. There is no development of this character, he’s a one-dimensional villain who sees murder and terror as the only option… why? Is there someone like this that King himself had to deal with growing up? I don’t know….

Many believe that this is the best way to write a villain or a character who won’t survive long, and I can’t say that I agree at all. In fact, one of the best villains I ever wrote about, I based on another college friend of mine, though I would NEVER admit this to her. This person was the type of individual who cared more about the people around them, than their own well-being. They would have given you the shirt of their back for the asking. I thought about it and when the gears were turning, I thought to myself, ‘How awesome would it be to make this character one of the villains? No one would see it coming!’

So I went ahead with it. People like this character, it was someone who just kind of fell in with the group due to circumstances, but quickly became one of them. Even my wife gravitated towards this character. So you can imagine that absolute shock when I revealed that this character was not only not on their side, but had been responsible for most of their problems. They had their reasons, but it didn’t change the fact that they were not on the side of the moral right throughout the story.

THAT is how you write a great and dynamic character. If you write a character with loving care and are truly excited about the impact the character will have, your audience will pick up on it and love that character. It is pretty much the exact opposite of an unfortunately growing trend among writers, especially those who write young adult fiction.

Just keep that in mind the next time you sit down to create a new character.
Thanks friends, catch you on the flip side,

Jim

March 13, 2015 + advice, Author, Fiction, literature, Publishing, Science Fiction, write, Writing

Author’s Advice Pt. 13

by Jim

Don’t let writing consume your life.

So you’re writing, you have a great idea and you want to get the whole thing down while it’s fresh in your mind. It’s perfect and if you don’t write it down right now, you’ll lose it. I get it, I’ve been there. There is certainly nothing wrong with taking that moment to get that info down, but the problem with great ideas like your initial one is that they tend to branch.

Soon one awesome idea becomes 3 awesome ideas and then those also branch out into 4 or 5 of their own. The next thing you know, you’ve blown through several hours. Your partner is yelling at you because you haven’t done your chores or paid attention to them. You’ve neglected your responsibilities, even though you didn’t mean to.

It happens, and it’s a difficult habit to break. What’s even more difficult is learning to pull yourself away and say ‘enough is enough.’ I know it may seem like that one great idea is the be all, end all, and you’ll never think of anything that great again… but you will. The fact is that some of the best writing I’ve done is when I passed up seemingly great ideas and then came up with even better ones. Creative juices do not stop flowing. They may ebb, or even slow to a trickle, but they never stop. You’ll get that rush again, and before long, you’ll be steaming out another few chapters.

Remember, when in doubt, the book can wait. Your characters are fictional, off living their own lives, or dead (depending on fiction or non-fiction), so it doesn’t matter if you get everything down today or tomorrow. What does matter are the people right in front of you wanting to spend time with you. It may mean that you will take a lot longer to finish your book, but in the end it really is the better way.

Oh, and for those of you who will respond that your writing is your life…

PUT YOUR PEN OR COMPUTER DOWN, NOW!!! Put it down, go outside and go do something, anything else. Meet up with friends, go on a date, or if you have a family, take them out somewhere. Stay away from writing at least for a little while. You’ll be better off, believe me.

Thanks friends, catch you on the flip side,
Jim

March 12, 2015 + art, Artist, Chrissie Zullo, Collection, Comic art, Comic Book, fantasy

Fantasy Art, Chrissie Zullo

by Jim

I know that this is slightly off-top for me, but I really couldn’t resist…

Let me preface this by saying that I love comic book art. I have original pieces from Alex Savuik, Pop Mhan, and Zeke Savory Jr. I’d just like to say that whomever came up with the idea to print blank cover variants of popular books is a genius!

So as most of you know, when I write about elves, I use my Skyrim companion as the example image:

Well, my local comic book store was having an event where a couple of known (and talented) artists were going to come, sign autographs, sell prints, and if you got there early enough, do commission pieces. I’ve been a fan of one of the artists, Chrissie Zullo, for some time. Her work in the Fables series has been nothing short of extraordinary. I’d tried to buy an original piece from her in the past, but always got to her online store two seconds too late (wish I knew how some of these people do this!!!!). So I was determined to have her do one for me.

In all her wisdom, my wife told me that I’d better get up their early and be ready. To my wife’s credit, she was right. I came back later and overheard Chrissie turn down another piece, presumably because she didn’t have time. (She was only at the store for a few hours)

So I went up to the store and that’s when I saw the blank cover variant of Batgirl. I knew she’d done a few Batgirl pieces in the past and frankly, they were my favorite of her work. So I figured, what the heck, I’d try it out. Most of the time, I’d just have the artist use a sketch pad, but I thought this would be more interesting.

There was one person already there ahead of me. He also wanted artwork done. So I waited and then it was my turn. I asked her if she could do the pic like she had done of batgirl, but then I stopped, did I want the same thing? Just a copy of the image she had already done and sold? I like one-of-a-kind stuff… so that wouldn’t be cool, but what character would I like?

Well the guy before me had given her a character that she didn’t know, so he brought it up on his phone and took a picture of it. That’s when the idea popped into my head, what about my Skyrim companion? I had a picture of her on my phone and it would be awesome to see her done.

So I asked, and Chrissie was more than up to the challenge. She took a picture of it and said that she preferred doing original stuff anyway. So she took the comic, though she warned me that two characters might be a little crammed, but I said that whatever she could do would be fine.

Well… the work speaks for itself…

March 11, 2015 + Uncategorized

WONDERCON UPDATE: VOLUME THREE COPIES

by Jim

Hey all, be sure to check out this new and exciting book by a talented author!!

March 11, 2015 + advice, fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fantasy, literature, Science Fiction, Writing

Going Against Your Beliefs.

by Jim

So is it possible to ethically write characters or circumstances that go against your personal beliefs, code of honor, and/or standards?

It’s not an easy thing to do, for sure, but to a point, I’d say yes. Allow me to provide an example:

In college, I took classes dealing with European Socialism and Fascism. In one of the classes, we were asked to recreate the Nuremberg Trials. I was asked to play one of the defense attorneys in the debate and to come up with a viable defense for the Nazis that I would be representing.

My grandfather fought in WW2 and helped liberate one of the German labor camps. It was something he refused to talk much about, if at all. So coming up with a defense for people who committed such monstrous acts was… well… I wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. However, I sucked it up, because I wanted a good grade and frankly, I found the subject interesting. I wanted to see how it would play out.

However, I told the professor that under no circumstances would I use Holocaust denial as a defense. In my mind, that was going too far. She thankfully understood.

In writing, I’ve done the same thing. I’ve created characters in my stories that don’t share my views, and I haven’t always made them bad guys either. Going against your beliefs is uncomfortable, admittedly, but it also makes you think outside the box and embrace other thought processes in order to create a realistic perspective. Do you want to understand why/how someone could allow other people to suffer like they did in the 1940s? Do you want to understand how such evil occurs?

Well as someone who has tried to understand it and done heavy research into the whole mess that was WW2, I can honestly say that you’re not going to get very far unless you try to look at things from the perspective of the people who committed such evils. You have to get into their background, get into their mind frame, and understand what brought them to that point where something like mass murder was okay. I’m not saying come up with excuses for such deplorable and disgusting actions, but simply to take a look at things from the other side.

This analogy is, in my mind, how you create a perfect villain. When writing the bad guy, put yourself in his shoes. How does he react to outside stimulus, what brought him to where he is? Does he have any mental deficiencies? Could he have been good had just a few set of circumstances happened differently? Nature vs. Nurture.

But I’m getting off track…

So to put it simply, unless you plan on writing a very linear story, going against your beliefs and thinking outside the box is not only possible… it’s actually essential in many cases. Don’t be afraid to try it, and feel free to leave comments below discussing how you feel about such things.

Thanks Friends,
Catch you on the flip side,

Jim

March 10, 2015 + advice, fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Science Fiction, Writing

Author Advice Pt. 12

by Jim

So… one thing I’ve always struggled with is how long each chapter should be. A few paragraphs, a few pages, what?

The definition from Webster:

Full Definition of CHAPTER

a : a main division of a book

b : something resembling a chapter in being a significant specified unit <a new chapter in my life>

a : a regular meeting of the canons of a cathedral or collegiate church or of the members of a religious house

b : the body of canons of a cathedral or collegiate church

: a local branch of an organization

Wonderful… well that’s helpful… So how do we gauge how long a chapter should be? Well for starters, I’d honestly say if your chapter is less than a page long, it’s too short.

Chapters seem to be relative to the overall length of the book; longer books, longer chapters. So a book that has only 80k-90k words could understandably have chapters that are 2-3 pages long. Whereas books that are over 200k could feasibly have 10-20 pages between chapters.

So with that established, when then do we start a new chapter or just use a marker to show that we’re switching locations or passing time?

Honestly… there is no set rule, but I try to stick to my self-imposed criteria:

Minor passage of time (hours): Time Marker

Change of perspective (moving to different characters): Time Marker

Significant time passage (1 or more days), but remaining in the same place or situation: Time marker.

Major Event: Chapter

Significant Time Passage, Change of Perspective: Chapter

Any passage of time/Change of Perspective following a change of location or circumstance: Chapter

Again, remember, these are my own self-imposed rules, so don’t worry if this isn’t how you do it. I post this simply as a guide to help anyone stuck on whether or not they should start a new chapter. Hope this helps!

Thanks Friends,

Catch you on the flip side,

Jim

March 9, 2015 + advice, Artist, Author, Belief, Book, Characters, Inspiration, Music, writer, writer's block

MORE Inspiration…

by Jim

So I’m up and writing again, and my thanks partially lies with this recently discovered (by me) song by a band I’ve been growing more and more fond of over time.

My Utopia by Van Canto. This is basically an A Capella group singing metal music. This song, especially the chorus line…

Fly…
To the morning skies
With armies of the true believers.
Try…
Try another time
by breathing hope.
Ride…
Through the waste of time.
Be yourself a pain reliever.
Fight…
Multiply the light
and space will grow.

It’s honestly not so much the lyrics as the melody. The mood and the up-tempo tune are pretty much everything I’m looking for in inspirational music.
Enjoy, and for those of you suffering writers block, I invite you to listen to this song, close your eyes when the chorus line comes on, and start brainstorming. You never know what you might come up with. It worked for me!

Thanks friends, catch you on the flip side,

Jim.

March 5, 2015 + advice, Artist, Author, awful, bad, Belief, Book, Characters, chase, demon, Divinity, Fairy Tale, fantasy

Author’s Advice Pt. 11

by Jim

Don’t be afraid to mix and merge.

So you have a fairly successful series going, but now you’re experiencing writers block. You have fragments of two or three sequels written, but don’t know where to take them. You’ve even considered starting on a third, but haven’t gotten anywhere with it. You really like the first two and would love to continue one of them, but each time you get a line in, you stall and don’t know where to go. You wind up stopping for a week, only to come back and repeat the cycle.

Well…

Why not take those fragments, as well as your ideas for a third story and combine them? Take the central themes of one, the characters from another, and the story line from the third idea you have, or any combination as such. It may work, it may not, but I’ve observed it working very well for people many times over.

A good example is my book, Magnifica: Gravestalker. I combined a few sequels to create this story as I had sort of written myself into a corner, and my audience was somewhat… upset… with the ending to Magnifica: Tears of the Fallen.

I knew that I had to do something, but I didn’t know what. Gravestalker was a product of the above formula.