Something Rewarding is Coming for Valentine's Day!

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From February 11-15, I will be giving away FREE eBooks!

What does that mean for you?

If you've never read my Christian fiction book Conquering Your Goliaths: A Parable of the Five Stones, OR if you'd like an eBook version of the book you've loved in paperback, NOW is the time!

Conquering Your Goliaths is a short read packed full of ways to overcome the goliaths in your own life. It would be fair to say that this inspiring read is my number 1 selling book, next to my marketing book, Marketing Your Book on a Budget.

It would also be fair to say that many reviewers love the book not only because of the way the book makes them feel but for the takeaway value - many have said their life is changed!

So don't forget to pick up...

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Get the Book, eBook, or Audiobook at Amazon TODAY!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

With love,

Kathryn

 

Top 5 Desk Items Every Writer Should Have

You know you have to have it.

A desk. A comfy chair. A place to keep all of your writing stuff. Plenty of writing instruments. Paper. More paper. Books on writing. Post It Notes. Music. Headphones. Paper clips. A stapler. Food. Drink. 

What have I forgotten?

Oh, yes. Research books. Envelopes. Stamps. Pictures of your loved ones. A COMPUTER! Speakers. 

If you're like me you are continually cleaning off your desk so that you can actually write!

Here are my top five needs - other than the obvious computer and speakers - I keep on top of my desk:

1. A place to store current projects. I got this wooden holder free from a teacher who was no longer using it. It comes with 6 slots. I like it because I can put my paper in here, my marketing book, as well as my current writing projects, all within individual folders. 

2. A place to store writing instruments. Not being able to decide on my favorite pen or marker, you can see I have another six slots for pens, pencils, a bookmark; even scissors. I believe I got this holder at Ross. 

3. Music options. Yes, I have a record player. Sometimes, yes, I connect on Pandora, but I really like the sound of a record player, don't you?

4. Post It Notes. How many times do you need a piece of paper to write something down - an idea, a phone number, a favorite website, and there isn't enough time to search for the right folder?

5. Paper clips. "Can you read the first chapter?" "I need to mail this." "I need to take a few copies for my presentation." Enough said.

What's Happening at Two Authors Books & a Beverage Club?

TODAY'S THE LAST DAY TO ENTER THE DRAWING TO WIN "MARKETING YOUR BOOK ON A BUDGET"! HAVE YOU ENTERED?

Let's talk about writing and reading!

Ask me a writing question! A publishing or marketing question!

I'll be on the front page of Two Authors... until the end of the month!

5-Point Checklist for Manuscript Submission

Line up those ducks!

Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash

Something happens to authors when they're about to submit their "baby" "masterpiece" or "heart and soul" to a publisher, whether that publisher is of the traditional fare or not. 

As a subsidy publisher myself - a publisher who receives money upfront to publish a book and then works at getting the book ready for publishing - I've seen it all.

Hand-written changes in the margins.

Single-spaced submissions.

Submissions that try and add pictures instead of sending the pictures as an attachment.

Manuscripts that HAVE NOT gone through at least one initial edit other than by the writer. 

Manuscripts that use a strange font [perhaps a font that is practically unreadable] or strange manuscript set-up. This can be intending the first paragraph by pushing the space bar 5 to 10 times instead of indenting paragraphs by .5 inches. Learn more here.

A good rule of thumb:

Professional is best. 

1. Make sure your manuscript is as clean and free of as many errors as possible. I use Grammarly myself, and then share my manuscript with at least one [more is better] reader, editor, or a combination of both.

2. Check your manuscript setup. I was going to mention the rules here but this article, "How to Format a Book: 10 Tips Your Editor Wants You to Know" is excellent.

3. Include a cover letter - or introduction. Your cover letter will differ depending on the reason why you are submitting your manuscript. Is it because the publisher asked for it? [You met them at a writer's conference]. Are you sending the manuscript because you think the traditional publisher would be interested in your book? [You found the business located in Writer's Market]. Are you sending your manuscript to a subsidy or vanity publisher? In all cases, find out what the publisher wants you to send them. [For us, Idea Creations Press, the first chapter, synopsis, vision for your book, and how you plan to market your book is more important than a standard cover letter]. 

4. Include a SASE [Stamped, Self-Addressed Envelope] for the return of your manuscript or a business-sized envelope for a return letter from the publisher. If you're doing things electronically, discard the envelope idea but make sure the publisher has your name, address, email, and phone number. 

5. Make sure your manuscript is weighed at the post office before sending it. Do not guess how many stamps you think you'll need and mail it from your house. Once you know the weight of your package, you can add the correct amount of postage to the SASE before sealing the entire package up and mailing it. No worries if you're simply mailing a business envelope. One stamp is sufficient. For online submissions: Make sure you've attached the manuscript!!

While there are still authors who are expected to send their manuscript [even if the publisher asks for only the first few pages] by snail mail, many publishers are now asking for the authors' work through email, and this simplifies the submission process substantially. It also allows the author to submit without the added expense of postage and wait time - which is often 6 months to a year for standard submissions.

Stand out from the slush pile by referring back to this checklist every time you submit.

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

5 Writing Habits to Kick

It's a new year with opportunities to make changes to your writing life! And this includes habits to kick to make you a better writer. Here are five that I'm working on this year.

Photo by Luz Fuertes on Unsplash

1. I will not edit as I write. Tough. Tough. Tough. I am going to write. Write. Write.

2. I will not compare myself to other more established, more creative, more _____________ [you fill in the blank] writers.

3. I will not replace writing with housecleaning. I will not say, "When this is done, I will make time to write."

4. I will write what's in my heart. I will let go of what others [publishers, other writers, myself sometimes] have to say about what is selling right now to make money. I will focus on what brings me happiness, not what others may expect or want me to write because of their needs. Writing can be seen as a selfish venture, but the best writers are those who dig deep and write what is most important to them. In turn, what they write becomes meaningful to the people who need it.

5. I will write daily. I will never be too busy. 

What are your 5 writing habits to kick this year?

Starting the monumental task of writing a book

Just this morning I was placing my stuffed animal frog on my bed when an idea for a children's picture book 'hopped' into my mind. My first thought was, "This is incredible! I have to write this down before I forget!" 

I ran to my computer and wrote the title and the short synopsis that came to me on a sticky note. It is hanging up right here where I sit and write.

Now comes the hard part. I've got to write it.

What should I do first? 

I have learned through the years the time of reflection should not be hurried. The reflection time is sort of my idea-gathering time. It's the time when  I consider the different ways the story might travel. Though I am a by the seat of my pants sort of author, I always have some idea of where I want my story to travel. And this idea takes me to the next step.

Photo by Sage Friedman on Unsplash

Writing the first draft. Please think of this time as the time to let your thoughts and feelings come through your fingertips and onto the page. This is not the time to edit. I HAVE TO REMEMBER THIS EVERY TIME I WRITE SOMETHING. Stop. Do not edit. Keep writing. Remember, stop. Stop. The first draft is kind of like living a fantasy life where you get to do anything and everything you want. The idea is to get your story out, not to block this time with whispers of fixing things. Give yourself some time with this. Don't hurry it. Spend as much time as you need.

The second draft will be up for view before you know it, and especially with picture books, it's important to make every word count. 

Photo by Duy Thanh Nguyen 
on Unsplash

Photo by howling red 
on Unsplash

This is the time to take out the words that do not contribute to the overall story. This is the time to correct run-on sentences. This is the time to look at the meat of the story. What are you trying to tell your reader? What do you expect them to learn without spelling it out?

Photo by chris liu on Unsplash

The final draft can be your third, fourth, or even your fifth draft. This is when you make sure your spelling is correct, your beginning is superb, and your ending is just as it should be. 

During the stages of writing a book, no matter what genre of book it is, I am thinking of the cover and what I want my future reader to know about the book even before they've flipped through a few pages or read the back cover. I start thinking of an illustrator. For my fiction books, I usually buy a stock photo that can be turned into a cover. 

Writing a book is a little like living a life where changes ultimately will need to be made. You might even want to consider your life. What changes have you made to make your life better? You can walk the same path with your book. 

Do you write in your books?

Perhaps a better question would be, why do you write in your books if you do, and why don't you if you don't?

Since I am the former answer to the question, let me take this one first.

I usually highlight and write in the margins of my nonfiction books. This helps me to return to a favorite passage or re-read a favorite thought in the margin. I have written in books for years, even when I was learning to read and would mark out the words I didn't know.

I suppose my mom 'loved' that but I did it so that I could see what else I still needed to learn. Later, I no longer marked up my books but that was because I was reading fiction. Yes, I did have school books, but I was threatened with my life not to mark those out, though I did check out a few books from the library that surprisingly were marked in pencil.

As an adult, I find that, if I own the book, I am open to highlighting and writing in the margins even if the book is a book of fiction.

"Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse is just such a book. Though fiction, it lends itself to nonfiction thoughts. Here's a couple I have marked.

"How many long years he had spent without any lofty goal, without any thirst, without any exaltation, content with small pleasures and yet never really satisfied!"

"We are not going in circles, we are going upwards. The path is spiral; we have already climbed many steps."

I love the book, "Gift From The Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. In it, she shares her feelings of living life by the sea, and letting go of an old life, and searching for a new one. It is nonfiction.

You can probably see that I have read this book multiple times and that every time I read it I receive something different that touches my soul.

For those who don't mark their books, I have heard various reasons such as, "I like a clean copy so that every time I read the book I'm not hung up on what I thought before. I enjoy the freedom of discovering, again and again, my favorite lines."

"I don't even mark my scriptures for the same reason and for an additional reason. They are much too sacred to mark up."

In either case, whether you mark in your books or you don't, there is something magical that happens when the words are written for the soul. 

Your thoughts? I would love to hear them!

Wrapping Up 2021 - Most Read Posts

Happy New Year!!

Here are the top posts for the last six months of 2021 beginning with December. If you haven't had a chance to read, here you go!

Photo by Moritz Knöringer on Unsplash

December

5 Tips For Stressed Out Writers. We all get stressed. Get some info. about what I do.

November

Free Book on November 20th! Today's the Day! The book? I Walked With Jesus.

October

Why I decided not to stay with my local publisher - the PCM of marketing books. What does PCM stand for? Find out.

September

Book Your Weekend! I spent an enjoyable Saturday in September talking about books.

August

Reviews of I Walked With Jesus. Still trying to decide?

July

A Tractor Named Wilbur: Friendships Last Forever. A fantastic author interview with Deanie Humphrys-Dunne