book marketing Archives - Reetta Raitanen's Blog

*points above* This post is really about how to write a fascinating character with a unique way to look at a world and a unique voice. So the it’s applicable to any genre, not just memoirs

5 Ways to Use Theme to Create Character Arc (And Vice Versa) by K.M. Weiland

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/use-theme-to-create-character-arc/

What Is the Relationship Between Plot and Theme by K.M. Weiland

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/what-is-the-relationship-between-plot-and-theme/

How to Use Your Outline When Writing Your First Draft by K.M. Weiland

https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-use-your-outline-when-writing-your-first-draft/

Smell Your Story by James Scott Bell

https://killzoneblog.com/2019/04/smell-your-story.html

The Bi-Cultural Writer by Rheea Mukherjee

https://writerunboxed.com/2019/04/08/the-bi-cultural-writer/

World Building: Why Writers Need to Be Sneaky When Building Worlds by William L. Hahn

https://annerallen.com/2019/03/world-building-sneaky/

Worldbuilding: Your Story World’s 101 History by Jami Gold

https://jamigold.com/2019/04/worldbuilding-your-worlds-101/

Worldbuilding a Series: Writing Without a Plan by Jami Gold

https://jamigold.com/2019/04/worldbuilding-a-series-writing-without-a-plan/

What Are Your Readers Thinking by Dawn Field

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2019/03/what-are-your-readers-thinking/

First Page Critique: The Secret of Thieves by Elaine Viets

https://killzoneblog.com/2019/04/first-page-critique-the-secret-of-thieves.html

First Page Critique: Unearthed by Clare Langley-Hawthorne

https://killzoneblog.com/2019/04/first-page-critique-unearthed.html

Take Five: Susan Spann and Claws of the Cat: a Hiro Hattori Mystery

https://writerunboxed.com/2019/04/07/take-five-susan-spann-and-claws-of-the-cat-a-hiro-hattori-mystery/

A 16th century Japanese Ninja and a Portugese Jesuit as historical Sherlock and Holmes. Sold! A fascinating story about a fascinating story

Book Marketing

How to Build an Author Platform by Daniel Gaughran

https://davidgaughran.com/2019/04/08/how-to-build-an-author-platform%EF%BB%BF-website-email-facebook/

Saying No to Twitter by Daniel Berkowitz

https://www.janefriedman.com/saying-no-to-twitter/

Juggling Two Author Platforms, Is It Worth It? by Charity Bradford

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/04/juggling-two-author-platforms-is-it.html

Why Don’t Publishers Believe in Author Websites by Jane Friedman

https://www.janefriedman.com/publishers-author-websites/

This is an old blog post (from 2013) but it highlights the potential problems of an author website. The question asked is: is it better to have no author website at all than a bad author website?

Of course the best thing is to have a GOOD author website that is regularly updated. But not all authors are tech people and can’t maintain their own sites, or pay for someone else to do it. What should they do then? That question the article doesn’t answer but it’s something to ponder about your own website (or if you don’t have one, whether to have one). For example my website needs a new WordPress theme and I need to figure out how to switch to it.

Why Authors Should Believe in Their Websites by Darcy Pattison

http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/why-authors-should-believe-in-their-websites/

Author Website Content: First Blog Posts by Darcy Pattison

http://www.darcypattison.com/marketing/author-website-content-first-posts/

20 Ways to Generate Article Ideas in 20 Minutes or Less by Mridu Krullar Relph

https://www.writersdigest.com/writing-articles/by-writing-genre/articles-freelance/20-ways-to-generate-article-ideas-in-20-minutes-or-less

(Totally applicable to blog posts)

Deep Stuff

I trained myself to be less busy – and it dramatically improved my life by David Sbarra

https://www.vox.com/first-person/2017/1/25/14362156/busy-overwhelmed-values

Who Wins in the Name Game by Cody C. Delistraty

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/who-wins-in-the-name-game

The Sea Was Never Blue by Maria Michela Sassi (how the Ancient Greek saw the colours of the world)

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-sea-was-never-blue

The Moral Peril of Meritocracy by David Brooks (He talks about how people can find a higher cause and become committed to it and serving others)

This Is How Human Extinction Could Play Out by Bill McKibben

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/bill-mckibben-falter-climate-change-817310/

Fun Stuff

Shazam! Review: Shameless mining of Spielberg, Big pays off for DC comics by Sam Machkovech (I saw the movie and it was really fun. I highly recommend it if you like superhero movies that don’t take themselves too seriously)

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2019/04/shazam-review-solid-teen-actors-funny-script-fill-some-pretty-big-shoes/

How the Dragon Prince Replaced Game of Thrones as My Favourite Fantasy Show by Ilana C. Myer

https://www.tor.com/2019/04/10/how-the-dragon-prince-replaced-game-of-thrones-as-my-favorite-fantasy-show/

‘Game of Thrones’ Returned – and Returned to Its Roots by Alison Herman

https://www.theringer.com/game-of-thrones/2019/4/14/18310986/game-of-thrones-season-8-premiere-recap

The ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 Premiere Exit Survey by The Ringer Staff (7 people share their squee moments and feelings)

https://www.theringer.com/game-of-thrones/2019/4/15/18311230/game-of-thrones-season-8-premiere-exit-survey-winterfell

Game of Thrones Season 8, Episode 2 Trailer by Krystie Lee Yandoli

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/krystieyandoli/game-of-thrones-season-8-episode-2-trailer

Posted by Reetta Raitanen on Apr 16, 2019 in Link Feast | 0 comments

Link Feast, vol. 56

Welcome to the Link Feast. I hope you’ve had productive two weeks. The next Link Feast is coming out on Sunday 31st of March.

After you’ve checked out some links, could you please write a comment and tell me which links and topics you found most useful or interesting. What particular challenges or issues you are facing right now? Do comment.

But now, please enjoy today’s offering.

If You Have Time For Only One Thing

How to Write Emotions: An Experimental Study by Matt Gianni

How to Write Emotion: An Experimental Study

On Writing

Self-Rejection: What It Is, Why You Do It and How to Eject It’s Ass Out of the Airlock by Chuck Wendig

http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2019/03/06/self-rejection-what-it-is-why-you-do-it-and-how-to-eject-its-ass-out-the-airlock/

Writing the “Perfect” Book by Fae Rowan

Writing the Perfect Book

Should You Write to the Market? by Kathy Edens

https://writingcooperative.com/should-you-write-to-market-de2f29daeeec

3 Surefire Ways to Write More Consistently by Nick Maccarone

https://writingcooperative.com/3-surefire-ways-to-write-more-consistently-154c1856c961

How Do We Set Goals When Trying Something New by Jami Gold

How Do We Set Goals When Trying Something New?

A Glimpse at a Best-Selling Pantser’s Process. (Author Diana Gabaldon shares how she writes her stories + some chapter titles for her newest book)

http://www.dianagabaldon.com/2019/03/bees-update-with-chapter-titles/

How to Write a Book in 3 Days by Tim Dedopoulos (NaNoWrikend – How Michael Moorcock and pulp masters of yore pulled off writing 50K words in 3 days)

http://www.ghostwoods.com/2010/05/how-to-write-a-book-in-three-days-1210/

Three Ways to Use Dungeons & Dragons to Improve Your Writing by Zulie Rane https://writingcooperative.com/three-ways-to-use-dungeons-and-dragons-to-improve-your-writing-afaf62083453

(There are many other roleplaying games of various genres out there than just Dungeons & Dragons, which is a fantasy RPG. But D&D is one of the most common game, and easiest to find playing groups for if none of your friends are playing and aren’t interested in trying)

The Differences Between a Crime Novel, Mystery Novel and Thriller Novel by David Corbett

The Differences Between a Crime Novel, Mystery Novel and Thriller Novel

How Long Will Your Book Be? By David Farland

http://davidfarland.com/2019/01/how-long-will-your-book-be/

Plot, Character and Theme: The Greatest Love Triangle in Fiction by K.M. Weiland

Plot, Character, and Theme: The Greatest Love Triangle in Fiction

Create Characters In 60 Seconds by Laurence McNaughton

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/create-characters-in-60-seconds.html

The Practical Guide to Using Character Archetypes in Your Novel by Janice Hardy

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/the-practical-guide-to-using-character.html

Bonding Character and Reader by James Scott Bell

Bonding Character and Reader

Working With the Shadow: A Writer’s Guide by Joslyn Robinson

https://the-artifice.com/shadow-writing-guide/

Can You Really Fall in Love With a Fictional Character by Noah Spud

Can You Really Fall In Love With a Fictional Character?

Exploring the Hero’s Journey: The Writer’s Guide by Joslyn Robinson

https://the-artifice.com/writers-guide-hero-journey/

Creating Three Dimensional Villains: Lessons From Buffy and Firefly by Scott McCormick

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2019/02/three-dimensional-villains-lessons-from-buffy-and-firefly/

A Guide to Changing Someone Else’s Beliefs by Kate Morgan (handy information for a manipulative villain, or a character who persuades for his/her job)

https://medium.com/s/reasonable-doubt/a-guide-to-changing-someone-elses-beliefs-c08fc1cb956b

The 10 Rules of Writing a Large Cast of Characters by K.M. Weiland

The 10 Rules of Writing Large Casts of Characters

Plot Twists in Fiction: Making a Story Standout by Fransesca Turauskis

https://the-artifice.com/plot-twists-in-fiction/

Watch Out! Avoiding Sneaky Plot Holes by Jami Gold

Watch Out! Avoiding Sneaky Plot Holes

You Get One Page to Hook the Reader. Yes, Really by Janice Hardy

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/you-get-one-page-to-hook-reader-yes.html

Writing About Controversial Topics by Michael Gallant

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2019/02/tips-for-writing-about-controversial-topics/

The Last Fifty Pages Make Or Break Your Novel by James Scott Bell

https://killzoneblog.com/2019/02/the-last-fifty-pages-make-or-break-your-novel.html

More Than a Happy Ending: What Makes a Story Uplifting by Jami Gold

More Than a Happy Ending: What Makes a Story Uplifting?

Writing Lessons From TV: Slang Can Help Create Your World by Scott McCormick

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2019/02/writing-lessons-from-tv-slang-can-help-create-your-world/

Story Threads: Fixing Rips In Our Story by Jami Gold

Story Threads: Fixing Rips in Our Story

Editing For Authors: 7 Ways to Tighten Your Story and Cut Costs by Kristen Lamb

https://authorkristenlamb.com/2019/03/editing-authors-professional-edits/

Taming the Synopsis: 4 Steps for Perfecting One-Page and Long-Form Synopses by Ammi-Joan Paquette

https://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/queries-and-synopses-and-proposals/taming-the-synopsis-4-steps-for-perfecting-one-page-and-long-form-synopses

How Saleable Are Short Stories? The Benefits of Writing Shorter by Sarah Dahl

http://blog.janicehardy.com/2019/03/how-saleable-are-short-stories-benefits.html

Publishing Industry & Self-Publishing

The State of Racial Diversity in Romance Publishing in 2018 by Bea & Leah Coch (The Ripped Bodice Bookstore)

https://www.therippedbodicela.com/sites/therippedbodicela.d7.indiebound.com/files/2018%20diversity%20study.pdf

Pitching: Writing Excuses Podcast Transcript

https://wetranscripts.livejournal.com/50356.html

Why books are the length they are by Charlie Stross (he is talking about hardcover books)

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/03/cmap-5-why-books-are-the-lengt.htm

Why I don’t self-publish by Charlie Stross (what all background work traditional publishing house is doing for authors)

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/03/why-i-dont-self-publish.html

Why I do self-publish by Linda Nagata (response to the above post)

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/04/why-i-do-self-publish.html

Interview with R.K. Thorne, author of Mage Slave by A.J. Blakemont (Thorne is a self-published author and she shares her path there)

http://blakemont.com/interview-r-k-thorne/

Book Marketing, Blogging & Social Media

Opinion: What Makes Readers Buy Books by Maggie Lynch (survey results)

https://selfpublishingadvice.org/opinion-what-makes-readers-buy-books/

Dungeons and Dragons and Reader Psychology by Chris Fox

Dungeons & Dragons and Reader Psychology

The #1 Goal For Your Book Marketing by Tim Grahl

The #1 Goal for Your Book Marketing

Business Musings: Shifting Attitudes (Planning for 2019, part 7) by Kristine Kathryn Rusch (Being profilic is a good thing and micro influencers are better than one for all curation)

Business Musings: Shifting Attitudes (Planning For 2019 Part 7)

How to Build Your Author Brand by CJ Lyons

https://blog.bookbaby.com/2011/12/how-to-build-your-author-brand/

No More Platform Anxiety, Please by James Scott Bell

No More Platform Anxiety, Please

Creating Your Author Brand as a Self-Published Author by Carla King

Creating Your Brand As A Self-Published Author

How to Find Writing Success by Leaving Your Niche by Pat Aitcheson (mainly applies to blogging but also contains some general writing advice)

https://writingcooperative.com/how-to-find-writing-success-by-leaving-your-niche-bfaaa38e56b8

Five Things You Need as Your Begin Your Career as a Self-Published Author by Steven Spatz

Five Things You Need As You Begin A Career As A Self-Published Author

A Writer’s Opinion on 5 Social Media Platforms by Sam H. Arnold

https://writingcooperative.com/a-writers-opinion-on-5-social-media-platforms-151550c26a76

Deep Stuff

There’s an optimal way to organize your day – and it’s not the 8-hour workday by Dr. Travis Bradberry

https://qz.com/work/1561830/why-the-eight-hour-workday-doesnt-work/

Why Willpower Is Overrated by Brian Resnick

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-willpower-is-overrated

After the 30-Day Social Media Ban: What Surprised Me & What I’m Changing by Roni Loren

https://roniloren.com/blog/2019/3/9/after-the-30-day-social-media-ban-what-surprised-me-amp-what-im-changing

An Oxford researcher says there are seven moral rules that unite humanity by Jenny Anderson

https://qz.com/1562585/the-seven-moral-rules-that-supposedly-unite-humanity/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits

See Through Words by Michael Erard (how to create metaphors consciously)

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/see-through-words

Fun Stuff

Best Harry Potter Escape Rooms by Katisha Smith (in the US and UK mainly)

https://bookriot.com/2019/03/05/best-harry-potter-escape-rooms/

11 Mythical Creatures Lurking in Finland’s Lakes and Forests by Jessica Wood

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/finland/articles/11-mythical-creatures-lurking-in-finlands-lakes-and-forests/

Mansa Musa: The richest man who ever lived by Naima Mohamud (he was king of the African Mali empire)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47379458

Read Harder 2019: A Book of Mythology or Folklore by Cassie Gutman

https://bookriot.com/2019/02/19/read-harder-2019-a-book-of-mythology-or-folklore/

Spring’s Big Sci-fi and Fantasy Books by Hayley at Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1518

Spring’s Most Epic YA books by Marie at Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1503

The Sweetest (and Sexiest) Romance Books of Spring by Hayley at Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/1521

Hot Off the Press: 31 New Paranormal and Speculative Titles Releasing in March by Kristina at All Things UF

http://allthingsuf.com/2019/02/hot-off-the-press-31-new-paranormal-and-speculative-titles-releasing-in-march.html

All the New Genre-Bending Books Coming Out in March (Tor)

All the New Genre-Bending Books Coming Out in March!

Posted by Reetta Raitanen on Mar 17, 2019 in Link Feast | 0 comments

Link Feast For Writers, vol 52

Hello dear readers, this Link Feast’s alive. It’s alive!

I’m sorry for neglecting you. Work has been crazy since I shifted departments. Excuses, schmexcuses but I will get bi-weekly steady again.

I’ve been sitting on these links for a while so it’s time to push this baby out into the world. Luckily the best writing advice and good blog posts in general don’t have an expiration date.

But if you want the freshest writing tips, I recommend you to check out the other link mash-ups in the Collected Wisdom section.

Next Link Feast coming up in two weeks on Sunday. Wrote that down to my calendar even. Or I will when I find it under all the crap 😛 House work hasn’t exactly been steady either.

Anyway, enjoy the links. And please leave a comment 🙂

If You Have Time For Only One Thing

How to Create a Three-Phase Writing Ritual by Debra Eve

On Writing

Learning From the Masters by Gabriela Pereira (the 4 types of books writers should read)

168 Hours: Time and Productivity #1 by Gene Lempp

Time Managament Tip: “Yes Makes Less” by Jenny Hansen

What’s on Your “Why To Do It” List? by Carleen Brice

Dreaming Big by Sharon Bially

10 Steps to Finding Your Writing Voice by Jeff Goins

When Nothing Goes Right, Go Left by Robin LaFevers

Fear: The Uninvited Guest by Robin LaFevers

Writing Is Magic by Kristan Hoffman

How to Be an Author 24/7 by Bill Ferris

Fifty Lessons From Fifty Shades of Grey – Part I (Writer Unboxed)

Fifty Lessons From Fifty Shades of Grey – Part II (Writer Unboxed)

Fifty Lessons From Fifty Shades of Grey – Part III (Writer Unboxed)

Drive, Don’t Chase by Jael McHenry (On following writing trends)

Levels of Conflict by John Vorhaus

4 Big Pitfalls in Story Opening by K.M. Weiland

The First Ten Pages of a Sceenplay by Erik Bork (totally applicable to the first chapter of a novel)

Adapting Screenplay Structure to Genre Novels by James Preston

Avoiding Boring Character Biographies by David Corbett

5 Reasons Why Han Solo Is the Most Realistic Person in Star Wars by Ryan Britt and Emily Asher-Perrin

Clothing Your Characters by Liz Michalski

Letting Your Characters Go by Juliet Marillier

Baby Got Back…. Story by Tiffany Reisz

Doing Research by D.B. Jackson

4 Steps to Successful Revisions by Cathy Yardley

Self-Editing For Everyone, Part 4: The Weakeners by Bridget McKenna

Cliffhangers and Book Series by Kristi Cook

Blind Spots and Obsessions in Historical Fiction: What Were They Thinking? by Dave King

Book Marketing & Blogging

5 ways to write a blow-your-mind manifesto by Alexandra Franzen

What are you about? What’s the theme of your life? Make me care. Nay, inspire me.

Marketing: Finding and Selling to Non-Book Book Audiences by Peter McCarthy

The Importance of Knowing Our Audience by Elizabeth S. Craig

Release Activities For the Reluctant Promoter by Elizabeth S. Craig

Don’t know what to blog about? 88 pieces of fill-in-the-blank inspiration by Alexandra Franzen

The Shy Writer’s Cocktail Party Survival Guide by Anne Greenwood Brown

Traditional Publishing

5 Reasons to Turn to Traditional Publishers Rather Than Self-Publish by Meg Waite Clayton

5 Essential Elements For Pitching Romance by Marcy Kennedy

How to Maintain a Healthy Author/Agent Relationship by Elizabeth Weed

Social Media

Twitter: A Dangerous Sense of Entitlement by Annie Neugebauer

3 Tips on Cleaning Up Your Twitter Account by Jenny Hansen

What If You Hate Facebook? Are You DOOMED? by Lisa Hall-Wilson

The B.A.R.F. Score: How To Know if Social Media is Working For You by Dan Blank

Collected Wisdom

Twitterific by Elizabeth S. Craig

Writing Resources by Gene Lempp

Must-Read Monday by Yesenia Vargas

Deep Stuff

100 Questions to Inspire Rapid Self-Discovery by Alexandra Franzen

I Did Not Marry My One True Love by Lisa Hall-Wilson

Insomnia, Wizard Vans, and Why Modern Women Read “50 Shades of Grey” by Kristen Lamb

Fun Stuff

10 Funniest Lines in all of Star Wars (According to me) by Ryan Britt

He’s That Bad and That Likeable: Pitch Black by Theresa Delucci

The Chronicles of Riddick: What Happens When You Let Vin Diesel Be Your Dungeon Master by Theresa Delucci

Weird Reality: Reality TV Aimed At Your Inner Geek by Shoshana Kessock

Posted by Reetta Raitanen on Sep 19, 2013 in Writer Wednesday | 4 comments

Link Feast For Writers, vol. 50

Writing blogs are a great way to learn about writing and marketing our books. Here are some of the best links I’ve found in the past weeks. Enjoy!
If You Have Time For Only One Thing

How to Get a Book Published: A Step-by-Step Guide by Anne R. Allen

On Writing

10 Ways for an ADD Writer to be OOH! SHINY!…Productive by Kristen Lamb

Career Lessons From Susan Boyle’s Success by Penelope Trunk

Daniel Day-Lewis’ 4 Tips for Writers Who Aspire to Greatness by Jon Morrow

Organization: Why Scrivener Is a Great Writing Tool by Randy Ingermansson (scroll down a bit for the good stuff)

The Three Phases of the Storytelling Process by Larry Brooks

8 Promises You’re Making To Readers – And Then Breaking by K.M. Weiland

The Stuff of Legends – Creating a Character Apocalypse by Kristen Lamb

How to Base a Character On Someone Else’s by Victoria Grefer

How to Write Better Heroes and Villains: Archetypes by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

9 Tips For Creating a Great Antagonist by Debra Vega