The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

Debra

Linda Rooks’ Perseverance Leads to Success

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I’m visiting today with author Linda Rooks who writes books for adults and children. Linda has a lot to share, so we’ll dive right in.

Linda, give us a bit of background on yourself.

Author Linda RooksMy writing journey began when I was in 6th grade. My teacher gave a writing assignment to the class. She liked what I wrote, had me read it to the class, and everyone laughed at the right places. I also read Little Women by Louisa May Alcott that year and loved it. I identified with Jo’s love of writing. At the end of the school year, when my teacher wrote in my autograph book that one day I would be a famous author, it clinched my life goal of wanting to be a writer.

My actual writing career didn’t begin until [Read more…] about Linda Rooks’ Perseverance Leads to Success

ALL comments were removed; I’m livid.

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comments removedYou spend time reading a blog post because the topic strikes a chord. You’re right there experiencing exactly what the blogger is talking about. You leave a comment along with a question that probes deeper into the topic.

The next day you visit the blog to see if anyone has replied to your question. But astoundingly enough, you discover your comment has been removed.

I’ve been reading other blogs and leaving comments for a long time. Sometimes the blogger replies, sometimes not. That doesn’t bother me, but this past week, the above scenario happened to me.

I left a comment with a legitimate question about the post topic. While I hoped for a reply, I was prepared not to receive one. I got worse than no reply. My comment was removed. And it wasn’t just mine; ALL comments were removed. (Tweet this.)

I’m livid. I feel a bit like I’ve been stabbed in the back. The topic of the post struck deep and was about a subject with which I am presently deeply struggling. Further, this blogger’s action makes me question the authenticity of the blogger’s commitment to the Christian principles the blog touts.

I realize this blogger may have a good reason for removing the comments; however, if that blogger prefers not to have comments on his/her blog, then why allow them to begin with?

Don’t alienate your readers by removing their honest comments from your blog. Instead, deactivate comments from your blog or for that particular post.

What does this rant have to do with marketing?

A large part of marketing is building relationships. What kind of relationships can you build if you never respond to or remove your readers’ comments?

Engaging with commenters creates relationship. They become potential buyers.

Certainly not all comments require an answer, and some comments are self-promotional spam. But what about those who resonate with the topic and ask a sincere question?

What’s your take? Has this ever happened to you? How did it make you feel about that blog/blogger?

The blogger in this case has lost my business.

(Did you miss my guest post on Book Marketing Tools.com? Visit here: “Are You Forgetting this Vital Step in Your Book Marketing Plan?”)

Writing Grants, Awards, and Contests

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Grant Money

The SCBWI Book Launch Award (must be a member of SCBWI), entries submitted June 1 – July 1, 2015, http://www.scbwi.org/awards/book-launch-grant/
The SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators), offers several other grants for members. If you’re a children’s book writer, investigate membership.
If you haven’t visited FundsforWriters yet, be sure you do. It’s a Writer’s Digest 101 Best Website for Writers inner and offers links to several grants for writers among many other resources. http://www.fundsforwriters.com/grants/

Awards

American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) Carol Award, open to members only, http://www.acfw.com/carol
2016 Coretta Scott King Children’s Book Award, http://www.ala.org/emiert/2016-coretta-scott-king-book-awards-submission-form

Contests

Writer’s Digest offers a variety of contests. Their 84th Annual Writing Competition is now open with an early bird entry deadline of May 4. Check out all their contests here: http://www.writersdigest.com/competitions/writing-competitions
Crab Orchard Review annual contests, http://craborchardreview.siu.edu/dyer.html

For guidelines on determining the legitimacy of contests and awards, here are two resources: The Myths of Writing Contests, http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/04/the-myths-of-writing-contests/
Writing Contests: When Winners are Losers http://www.writing-world.com/contests/scams.shtml

16+ Free Online Resources for Doing Research for your Novel

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doberman doing research on a laptopSo, your work in progress takes place in the 1800s … or maybe it’s a contemporary story, but one that is set in a region of the country you’re unfamiliar with. You know you’ve got a lot of research to do to make your story accurate and credible, but where do you begin? [Read more…] about 16+ Free Online Resources for Doing Research for your Novel

How to Make Your Book Marketing Manageable Instead of Overwhelming

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Carried by Grace by author Debra L. Butterfield
It’s launch week for Carried by Grace.

Are you in the process of writing your book?

Or do you have a publishing contract in hand?

No matter the answer, you can begin developing your marketing plan right now.

But there’s so much that goes into marketing it’s overwhelming and time consuming. How do you make it more manageable? [Read more…] about How to Make Your Book Marketing Manageable Instead of Overwhelming

Is Your Dream Still Unrealized?

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laptop 2Another year is drawing closed. Seems like only yesterday that I realized my dream of becoming a writer, yet it’s been over 12 years since the dream became reality.

In 2002 Focus on the Family hired me as a junior copywriter. And even though I was now working as a writer, I struggled to think of myself as one. I didn’t have a degree in journalism or English. I didn’t have any articles published in magazines, nor did I have a published book.

But that didn’t mean I wasn’t a writer. Long before becoming a copywriter, I was writing novels in my spare time. After putting my son to bed I’d sit down at the computer with a cup of coffee (and no it wasn’t decaf) and write for hours. Often until one in the morning.

I wasn’t just writing for fun or relaxation—those were side benefits. I wrote with the intention of [Read more…] about Is Your Dream Still Unrealized?

Elaine Marie Cooper & Bethany’s Calendar

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I’m excited to have award-winning author Elaine Marie Cooper with us today, and I have a surprise for you at the end. Be sure to keep reading.

Author Elaine Marie CooperElaine is the author of 5 books. Her most recent historical fiction, Fields of the Fatherless, has won 3 awards: 2014 Selah Award, YA Fiction; 2014 Next Generation Indie Book Award, Best Religious Fiction; and 2014 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award, Best YA Religious Fiction. The Promise of Deer Run, book 2 of her Deer Run saga is a Los Angeles Book Festival Winner and was a ForeWord Book of the Year Award finalist.

Elaine knows how to captivate her readers! [Read more…] about Elaine Marie Cooper & Bethany’s Calendar

How to Conquer Your Book Marketing Plan

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Marketing. Most writers dread it. Because, after all, we’d rather be writing.

But gone are the days when the publisher handled ALL the marketing of a book for their authors. And the truth of it is, even in the “old days” traditional publishers didn’t allocate equal marketing dollars to every book.

Whether you are traditionally published or self-published, marketing your book is a fact of life—unless you don’t care if anyone ever buys your book.

Marketing isn’t a one time event. Maybe that’s what makes it so overwhelming. Or maybe it’s figuring out how to execute the many elements of marketing that intimidate and overwhelm you.

As I was considering the marketing plan for my new book Carried by Grace, it suddenly struck me how I could make it manageable. [Read more…] about How to Conquer Your Book Marketing Plan