eBook Miner discussion

1. Everyone gets bad reviews. Judge it for what it is, learn from it if possible, grow as an author & strive to improve your craft.

2. Having a reliable editor is an integral part of making sure your eBook is a success. No author wants the attention of the grammar police!

3. Got a story to tell? Do not procrastinate. Get it on screen or down on paper.

4. "Judging a book by its cover means you could miss out on some great contents." Don't let readers skip over your book, your cover must stand out from the pack!

5. Save your future best sellers on your hard drive & back them up! One great idea is to email your story to yourself every few days!

Remembering great ideas for your next big seller can be tough. Several applications on your phone allow you to document these straight away. It also saves on you having to have to carry a note pad around (old school) or worse, forgetting the idea altogether. A phone is also something most people have on them most of the time which makes this plan very convenient.

Don't discount the notepad yet though! Keep it beside your bed on your bedside table along with a reliable pen. If you are one of these people who wakes up several times a night, you may be able to jot rough outlines down.

Always try to write it in point form, make sure you get the crux of the idea down. Most of the time you will be so tired that you will barely know what you are doing. This is why a notepad is better than a phone, nothing worse than lighting your bed room up like the fourth of July and incurring the wrath of your spouse.

In the morning you probably won't remember having woken up from your dreams to document your idea. But, hopefully it is somewhat coherent enough that the idea itself instantly floods back to you. This is a great idea if you are a vivid dreamer or a night person.

Sometimes it gets tiring working on the one story, when you pour your soul out onto the pages it can become tedious, tiring or even annoying depending on the writer. One great option is to distract yourself with a view of getting back on the horse (so to speak) in an hour's (or any time period)time. You can also work on something else which helps some writers or read back through what you have already completed.

eBook wrote: "1. Everyone gets bad reviews. Judge it for what it is, learn from it if possible, grow as an author & strive to improve your craft.

2. Having a reliable editor is an integral part of making sure ..."

Good reminders. Thanks for sharing

Thanks Amber.

:)

Only thing I worry about in the "emailing yourself" part is security. Email can be hacked and guess what else the hacker gets his/her hands on...? Your manuscript!

Hi Troy, I see your concern but it is a good suggestion. Regularly changing email passwords helps, we suggest backing it up in several places. One of the guys on our team lost one and a half million words (about 10 books) and this is now something he does. Nothing is fool proof but the more places you have your work saved, the better.

eBook wrote: "Hi Troy, I see your concern but it is a good suggestion. Regularly changing email passwords helps, we suggest backing it up in several places. One of the guys on our team lost one and a half millio..."

Emailing stuff to yourself is one way - but for my working files I now use Dropbox, so that the files are automatically saved in the cloud and also uploaded to the other computers that you use as well. I was also impressed recently to find that it saves versions of your files, meaning I was able to go back and recover a revision stage I hadn't saved. As with email you would want to use a strong password, and change it now and then.

Drop box is a great tool s well. I have started looking into it and so far it looks great! Thanks for the input Mike!

Mike wrote: "eBook wrote: "Hi Troy, I see your concern but it is a good suggestion. Regularly changing email passwords helps, we suggest backing it up in several places. One of the guys on our team lost one and..."

I agree. Apps like Dropbox are great tools to use for backup. If you are willing to pay a little $$, you can use automatic backup programs like Mozy or Carbonite that will continuously backup everything of yours. If something happens, you can send it right back to yourself in seconds.

If you guys have any other tips, feel free to add them! I will have to check out Mozy and Carbonite!

Troy wrote: "Only thing I worry about in the "emailing yourself" part is security. Email can be hacked and guess what else the hacker gets his/her hands on...? Your manuscript!"

If you print out your manuscript with a time/date stamp that adds a level of security as well.

I use SkyDrive and Google Docs to store all my work, regularly. It also helps if your computer crashes before you have time to save it elsewhere. I've got an external hard drive that is great for saving a lot of work. I've been writing since my teens, so I have ten years worth of stories, some finished and some not, that need a lot of protection just in case I find inspiration for them again. :)

I am learning a lot here, thanks for sharing guys. Here is a good blog post I found that may help some authors.

Stay motivate, write, write, write.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carlota...

Grammar an issue?
punctuation not perfect?

Why not try Grammar Bytes?

It's fun and helps iron out those persnickety 'postrophes and contemptible commas.

You'll find it at www.chompchomp.com

Troy wrote: "Mike wrote: "eBook wrote: "Hi Troy, I see your concern but it is a good suggestion. Regularly changing email passwords helps, we suggest backing it up in several places. One of the guys on our team..."

Hi there, I find dropbox really good as well. You can upload files and use it people to acces in the public folder.

One thing that I have noticed lately that I have to mention is the amount of authors here on good reads who miss opportunities.

What I mean by this is when someone adds them as a friend, they have to know a specific answer to a question (they have no hope of knowing) which acts like some key to the city.

Unless you are are a HUGE author, this is counter productive. Good Reads is a great place to find loyal readers and interact with your fan base. By making it hard for people to connect, it just makes them lose interest.

Another example of this is the 50 questions friend request.

eg:

How do I know you? What books do we have in common? Have you read any of my work and if so which book? Why should I add you? Who was your favorite character off Gilligan's Island?

Some of the questions I have seen are plain ridiculous or too extensive. As an author, particularly one who isn't deriving a full time income, you are only hurting yourself by utilizing these tactics.

Yes, you're right. I've seen it with many Goodreads librarians, too. I would never read an author's work that made one jump through that type of hoop.

1. Realize that not everyone is going to like your book, if you get a bad review accept it and move on.

2. Promote to your genre and certain audience

3. Make the best out of the skills, tools and promotional and market bases you have.

4. Don't burn yourself out writing or promoting, a little goes a long way.

5. Don't pay for reviews, you owe it to your work and yourself to stay true.

Plan your expectations for your book and your career.
How many genres do you want to write in?
Do you want a literary agent?
Do you want to purely self publish or go the more traditional route? The sooner you know these things (and more in depth points) the sooner you can plan and achieve your goals.

Yes, I use Dropbox, plus an external hard drive. As far as a hacker getting my files. Lol I'm afraid the hardest part of writing is often promoting that book and getting it seen. I know of at least one great writer who has yet to find an audience. Most hackers wouldn't be interested.

If someone make a friend request, I click accept, and say hello.

Morris E. Graham

Great advice Morris! Authors are only hurting themselves here on GR if they don't allow readers easy access and don't build up rapport with those readers.

Concerning editing, I have just completed my 4th ezine article on book editing.

The ABCs Of Editing A Book. Below are the four parts.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-ABCs-Of...

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-ABCs-of...

http://ezinearticles.com/?THE-ABCs-OF...

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-ABCs-Of...

I should wrap up this series with either one or two more installments.

Keep track of new articles on my website: http:www.morrisegraham.com

Best regards, Morris e. Graham

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“I have advice for people who want to write. I don’t care whether they’re 5 or 500. There are three things that are important: First, if you want to write, you need to keep an honest, unpublishable journal that nobody reads, nobody but you. Where you just put down what you think about life, what you think about things, what you think is fair and what you think is unfair. And second, you need to read. You can’t be a writer if you’re not a reader. It’s the great writers who teach us how to write. The third thing is to write. Just write a little bit every day. Even if it’s for only half an hour — write, write, write.” ― Madeleine L’Engle

I tell my students interested in improving their writing, they have to be reading three to five hours a day. They look at me is disbelief.

Carl wrote: "I tell my students interested in improving their writing, they have to be reading three to five hours a day. They look at me is disbelief."

It's really quite strange. I've seem more than one thread discussing whether a writer needs to read. Many would be authors these days are proud to declare that they do not read at all. Amazing.

I don't believe there are any great writers who were not great readers.

“Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory. Teach yourself by your own mistakes; people learn only by error. The good artist believes that nobody is good enough to give him advice. He has supreme vanity. No matter how much he admires the old writer, he wants to beat him.” ― William Faulkner

Good to pick Faulkner. I'm writing a biography of him.

eBook wrote: "“Let the writer take up surgery or bricklaying if he is interested in technique. There is no mechanical way to get the writing done, no shortcut. The young writer would be a fool to follow a theory..."

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
- Sun Tze

Its Sun Tzu*
As much as I love his teachings, not sure what this quote has to do with the thread. I'm guessing it's a metaphor.

L.R. wrote: "Its Sun Tzu*
As much as I love his teachings, not sure what this quote has to do with the thread. I'm guessing it's a metaphor."

The adoption of Tzu is inaccurate. The pronunciation is much closer to Zi or Zhi, or the now outmoded Tze.

The quote refers to the the fact that while you need not learn from other writers or follow a particular style or technique, it is stupidity not to know what other writers have done and are doing, otherwise the young authors "work of genius" could turn out to be something the others have done a million times over history. You cannot surpass others if you have not idea where the others are in comparison to you.

There is a difference between self confidence and blind arrogance.

Tips from the writer's center,

There are so many different ways to write. Some writers work a consistent fifty
hours a week and set a word target, some create in brief and fierce flurries of
activity. Some writers know their plot exactly and walk their characters through
it and some watch their characters run off in all directions and struggle to keep
up with them.
There’s no right way of writing but there are simple things you can do to improve your chances by writing something others might want to read.

Argh! So frustrating when you see an awesome author on Amazon that you would love to connect with and there is absolutely no contact information.

Don't let this be you!

eBook wrote: "Argh! So frustrating when you see an awesome author on Amazon that you would love to connect with and there is absolutely no contact information.

Don't let this be you! "

Often this is lack of computer skills rather than intentional - I didn't even know my 'contact' was turned off until someone on a forum mentioned it - now I'm wondering if I have some dumb question popping up :( There shouldn't be!

A good thing is to have an email address or website in the about me section as an author. Its amazing how many (a good percentage) have no information whatsoever.

I agree with your point, computer skills can definitely play into it. That is why typing in some sort of contact is a great idea.

Done! Thanks for the nudge. My amazon page was more up to date than goodreads so my author marketing tip is

UPDATE. Check your 'shop window' online is up to date and LOOKS up to date. I've just had a major redesign of book jackets - fashions change!

I love this:

“You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.”

- Ray Bradbury

Here's 2 webpages for you guys to give a look-see. I personally know this great writer:

http://jason-sizemore.com/2015/02/09/...

http://jason-sizemore.com/2015/02/12/...

Thought I'd share this link with you great folks!

http://io9.com/5916970/the-22-rules-o...

Brick wrote: "Thought I'd share this link with you great folks!

http://io9.com/5916970/the-22-rules-o..."

Thanks. I did like it very much.

R.

You're welcome!

No problem!

In my book, "Warzone: Nemesis," I quote Sun Tzu a bit, as well I intend to for the completion of the trilogy, when I ever get to writing this rest of the two volumes. Let me take a crack at the "Art of War" passage listed.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
- Sun Tze

It is fairly simple. Without knowing yourself, your strengths, weaknesses, and position, you are at an extreme disadvantage in measuring your abilities in battle. Knowing your enemy gives you the ability to evaluate his strengths, weaknesses and position. Knowing both yourself and your enemy is key to winning every battle.

This also works in business. I also enjoyed looking over the 22 rules.

Morris E. Graham

Couldn't agree more Katie! Backing up your work is just common sense really... unless you want to lose it all! The more feedback you get on your work prior to releasing to the masses the better too. Even including a broad range of people to beta is a good idea, getting perspective from different demographics and people with different interests is super informative.

I've never seen the need for Beta readers. I wouldn't change anything (other than typos) anyway. The story and the style is mine. If a particular demographic doesn't like how it is done that's just too bad.

V.W. wrote: "I've never seen the need for Beta readers. I wouldn't change anything (other than typos) anyway. The story and the style is mine. If a particular demographic doesn't like how it is done that's just..."

I have a lot less experience then V.W., so I have really appreciated beta input. Not to change the plot or the "core" but to tweak. For instance more fully illustrating the emotional landscape. Avoiding the overuse of some terms. Sometimes more explanation is called for, I might know why something that seems discordant happens but the reader is left in the dark and mystified. These are things I am learning.

Someday I won't be so dependent...

image:

Stephen wrote: "Troy wrote: "Mike wrote: "eBook wrote: "Hi Troy, I see your concern but it is a good suggestion. Regularly changing email passwords helps, we suggest backing it up in several places. One of the guy..."

I use Google Docs. My files are saved online and I can access them from any computer, phone or Nook.

Carl wrote: "I tell my students interested in improving their writing, they have to be reading three to five hours a day. They look at me is disbelief."

I honestly believe reading the huge amount of material I do (and have, all my life) is the main fact so many people like my writing. Having read so many books and authors gives me a unique perspective for telling my own tales.