Educating the Reader

BOOK BIZ 101: EDUCATING THE READER

Readers are passionate about their books, and some, bless them, are ravenous in their reading.

Unfortunately, many don’t understand enough about the business of publishing so they end up hurting the authors and the publishers which means fewer favorite authors and publishers.  

It’s up to authors to educate them for both their sakes.  Here are some suggestions.

First and foremost, readers, publishers, and authors are an ecosystem, and money is the food that keeps that ecosystem alive.  

If you financially starve any part of the system, the whole system can fail.

These days, with the advent of self-publishing, some authors are their publishers, but the ecosystem is primarily the same.  

WAYS TO HELP AUTHORS:

•If you can't find a book, ask the bookstore to special order it for you.  If enough people do this, they'll order the author's next book.  This also helps the bookstores stay in business.

•Pre-ordering a book before the publication date tells the publisher and the bookseller that this book will be popular, and they may buy/print more copies. Many authors consider this tip the number one way for readers to help an author’s career.

•Don’t pass around new books to friends.  A bookstore and the publisher can only tell how popular a book is by the number of copies sold.  If you share your one book with six friends, the publisher and the bookstore won't know this.  Get those six friends to buy the book themselves.  The only exception to this rule is the first book of a series after a few books have been published.  If you get friends addicted to a series you love so they will buy the rest of the series, you will help keep that series alive.  

•Buy the book new, not used.  If you buy the book used, you won't be counted as a reader by the publisher who only knows about new book sales.  Neither the publisher nor the author gets paid when a used book is sold so money is being syphoned away from the producers of books. 

•E-books cannot be sold used because of copyright laws.  Nor can they be borrowed except from a library or a closed system like Kindle.  Authors/publishers have to agree that their book can be loaned.  

•Don't take a paper book to the used bookstore until it is no longer on the bookstore shelves.  Two to three months from the time you buy it is a good rule of thumb.  

•Paperback books without their covers are stolen books.   Tell the person at the flea market or used bookstore that it's illegal to sell and show them the legal note to this effect at the front of the book.  If you continue to see books like this sold, send a letter to the publisher or use their website to tell them.

•If you see an electronic version of a copyrighted novel available for free at some website or on a newsgroup, contact the publisher or author immediately and tell them.  Not only is this illegal, but it is the financial murder of your favorite authors and the end of the kind of books you love.  

•Even if you are financially forced to buy used or to borrow books from the library or friends, you can still help the author.  Write reviews.  Tell friends.  Reviews and word of mouth sell books.  

NOTE:  If you have other ideas, please share them in the comments.  

Links of Interest

MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR BOOK LAUNCH DAY:

http://www.magicalwords.net/gail-martin/making-the-most-of-your-launch-day

THE SELF-PUB TO-DO CHECK LIST:

https://janefriedman.com/self-publishing-checklist/

INEFFECTIVE SETTINGS:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/common-mistakes-series-pt-47/

GIVING YOUR CHARACTER THE PROPER ENTRANCE:

http://www.darcypattison.com/revision/making-a-grand-entrance/

FINDING THE RIGHT CRITIQUE GROUP OR PARTNER:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/06/are-you-looking-for-critique-group-or.html

CHOOSING THE POSSIBLE PATHS IN YOUR PLOT:

http://writerunboxed.com/2016/01/05/the-storyteller-and-the-roads-not-traveled-in-the-wip

NONFICTION QUERY LETTERS:

https://janefriedman.com/the-complete-guide-to-query-letters-nonfiction/

SELF-PUBLISHING COMPANY AUTHOR SERVICES, HATED AND SUED BY MANY WRITERS, HAS BEEN SOLD:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/69062-author-solutions-sold-to-private-equity-firm.html

CREATING COMPELLING SETTINGS:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2016/01/23212/

MASTERING THE CLIFFHANGER CHAPTER ENDING:

http://writershelpingwriters.net/2016/01/mastering-the-art-of-the-cliffhanger-chapter-ending/

Quiz: Do You Have What It Takes to be a Writer?

Do you have what it takes to be a fiction writer? Here's a true or false test to find out.

Be brutally honest. The only person you will be cheating is yourself. Choose TRUE if the statement describes you or what you believe, FALSE if it does not.

1. I don't need to know grammar and spelling. That's the job of the editor. My job is to tell the story.

2. Most authors make lots of money. That's why I want to write.

3. I want things NOW. I'm just not a patient person.

4. Friends or family want to watch a movie you really want to see, but you haven't written your quota for the day. You usually stay at the computer and write.

5. If I don't write every day, I get grumpy or edgy.

6. There's one secret to writing a publishable story, and when I learn what it is, I'll succeed.

7. Criticism really hurts me. If someone criticizes my work, I feel like a failure.

8. If someone criticizes my work, I will change it immediately.

9. I love to read a certain kind of story, and that's what I want to write.

10. It's easy to write and sell a novel. All I will have to do is sit down and write it, then I will sell it.

BONUS POINTS QUESTION: I dream of stories to tell, or characters demand their stories be told, or I envision whole scenes, and I want to find out what happens next.

ANSWERS

1. FALSE Editors are busy people, and they don't have the time to correct simple mistakes. Simple mistakes indicate a poor writer, as well, and usually brings a fast rejection. WORTH 10 POINTS

2. FALSE Most authors are very poorly paid, expenses are high, and the time required is intense. The average writer can't support herself or her family on several books a year from a major publisher with good distribution. A few self-published writers do but most don’t.  WORTH 10 POINTS

3. FALSE Publishing is an excruciatingly slow process. First you write the book, then you wait for months as you send out queries, more months for them to look at a portion of the manuscript, and even more months to look at the complete manuscript. And if they want to publish it, it will take a year or more to see print. Even self-publishing a book, if you do it correctly with an editor, etc., takes many months of work.  WORTH 10 POINTS

4. TRUE You have to create writing time and that means you have to give up other things. You have to want to write, or you'll never succeed. WORTH 10 POINTS

5. TRUE Writing is an adrenaline addiction. WORTH 10 POINTS

6. FALSE There is no one secret to creating a publishable novel. There are, however, a few things you need to do. The first is sticking your rear in a chair in front of the computer with some consistency and writing. WORTH 10 POINTS

7. FALSE A tough skin must be standard equipment if you want to be a novelist. Every step along the way will be filled with criticism and rejection. The trick is to realize that they are talking about your work, NOT you. WORTH 10 POINTS

8. FALSE Writing isn't a project by committee. You know your work best so you must decide if a suggestion has value or not. The trick is determining what changes are part of learning craft and what changes force your voice or story in the wrong direction. WORTH 10 POINTS

9. TRUE You have to enjoy, respect, and read the types of stories you write. This gives you a good basis for knowing what works and what readers want.

Nothing is more obvious to a reader or an editor than a writer who doesn't read in her field. This is especially true in romance. A reader can spot someone who is writing for the money really fast. WORTH 10 POINTS

10. FALSE Writing is a craft that must be learned. You are as likely to have the natural skills to be a publishable writer as someone who has never played basketball would have the skills to play professional NBA basketball.

The first novel rarely sells. Most published writers write several before they sell. Some can write up to a dozen novels before selling. WORTH 10 POINTS

Bonus Points Question: TRUE If this doesn't happen to you, you really aren't meant to be a fiction writer. All the other things above can be learned, but this can't. WORTH 100 POINTS

SCORES

0 to 99 A writing career isn't for you. Do a happy dance because you have escaped such an evil fate and go read instead.

100-145 If you're willing to change and work hard, you can become a professional writer.

145-190 Congratulations. You are completely insane and the perfect candidate for being a professional writer.

Links of Interest

WHICH FAMOUS WRITER ARE YOU QUIZ:

http://thewritepractice.com/famous-writer-quiz/

BEING A PRODUCTIVE WRITER:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2012/04/whatcha-doing-ways-to-be-more.html

EMAIL ETIQUETTE:

http://thewritepractice.com/3-email-etiquette-rules/

MAKE YOUR SETTING A CHARACTER:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/12/make-setting-of-your-story-character.html

CRAFTING A STRONG OPENING:

http://jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/2015/12/the-critical-importance-of-crafting.html

MARKETS, SHORT STORY:

http://www.magicalwords.net/misty-massey/happy-new-writing-year

HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR PATH IN PUBLISHING:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/12/finding-your-path-to-publishing.html

PUBLISHING ISSUES IN THE COMING YEAR:

https://janefriedman.com/top-5-industry-issues-for-authors/

Profession and Viewpoint

I've written several blogs on how viewpoint affects what you description in a scene. For example, a character who is analytical will view a room differently from a creative person.

The profession of a viewpoint character also affects how you describe what the character sees. In one of my novels, the main character is a landscape artist. I kept a list of paint colors beside me as I wrote her viewpoint because she'd be precise about color variations. She'd see another character's eyes as cerulean blue, not blue. 

If that viewpoint character had been an expert on antiques, the other person's eyes might be the color of Delft blue china. 

Using this kind of description also makes writing love scene description, particularly evoking the intense emotions of sexual pleasure, a bit easier and less cliche-ridden. I've used space imagery for a heroine who was an astrophysicist, shapes and forms for an architect, and colors and textures for that landscape painter. 

An expert will also see something differently than the rest of us. Imagine a mechanic looking at a car engine, now imagine someone who knows nothing about engines looking at it. The terms used to describe the engine in viewpoint will be as precise or imprecise as the character's knowledge. 

Always remember that description is as much about the viewpoint character as it is about creating a picture in the reader's head.

Links of Interest

COVERS ON A BUDGET:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2015/12/cover-design-on-budget.html

MAKING YOUR SETTING A CHARACTER:

http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/2015/12/make-setting-of-your-story-character.html

DESCRIBING YOUR CHARACTER IN FIRST PERSON NARRATIVE:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2011/08/what-do-i-look-like-protag-describing.html

USING THE WEATHER TO POWER A MOOD IN YOUR FICTION:

http://writersinthestormblog.com/2015/12/power-your-fiction-using-weather-to-create-mood-not-cliches/

CREATING YOUR ONLINE BLOG/WEBSITE, PART 1:

http://bobbrooke.blogspot.com/2015/12/building-your-online-home.html

COINCIDIENCE IN FICTION IS A BAD THING:

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/coincidences-fiction-youre-wrong/

4 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF TO IMPROVE CHARACTERS:

http://thewritepractice.com/improve-your-character-development/

DESCRIPTION:

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/03/is-your-description-helping-your-story.html

What Christmas Songs Teach Writers

"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch."  The only character greater than a villain is a villain who is redeemed.

"Oh, Holy Night"  A powerful story is often best told simply.

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"  Sometimes, something innocent can become creepy.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas"  A one-sided romantic relationship is boring.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"  The underdog with a reviled talent makes a great hero.  

"Frosty the Snowman"  A great character often deserves a sequel.  ("I'll be back again, some day." ) 

"Carol of the Bells"  Driving rhythm can pull the reader forward.  

"Do You Hear What I Hear?"  You can tell a story through dialogue.

"Silent Night"  A few simple images can create powerful emotions.

“Let It Snow, Let It Snow”  The quiet, homey moments are often filled with the greatest emotions and memory.

"The Christmas Song"  ("Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…." )  Setting alone can show strong emotion and story.

“I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”  A fantasy plot makes much more sense with lots of details.  (“There's lots of room for him in our two-car garage.  I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage.”)  NOTE: Best Christmas novelty song ever!

"Good King Wenceslas"  Sometimes, a character is remembered more for kindness than power or glory.

"I'll Be Home For Christmas"  Home and family are two of the most powerful goals within the human heart.  

"Baby, It's Cold Outside."  "This is for your good, not mine" is a great seduction.

“Is that You, Santa Claus?”  Every good thing may disguise a bad thing.

"Jingle Bells" and "Jingle Bell Rock"  The times and tempo may change, but the story remains the same.  

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"  Sometimes, the character's emotions and the message aren't the same.  

"Santa Baby"  With the right voice, even Santa and a chimney can be made into a double entendre.  

“All I Want for Christmas Is You.”  Love is the greatest gift.