Melanie Wass

Writer. Speaker. Facilitator.

Archives for May 2014

NEW Book Author Theme

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It’s VERY rare for a theme to be specifically developed to meet the needs of a rather ‘niched’ market like authors.

The Book-Snapper theme for WordPress has been released and clever self-publishing authors are taking advantage
of it’s power and simplicitybook-snapper-wordpress-author-theme

As authors (and aspiring authors) it’s not always easy to find solutions tailored to your specific needs.

Well, here’s one such dilemma that you can happily cross of your list.

It’s simple, yet sophisticated.

  • Installs just like any other WordPress theme but give authors what they really need.
  • Social media integration? Done.
  • Want to highlight a Book Tr
    ailer? It’s got you covered.
  • Need list building options? No problem.
  • Is it responsive? Like a Ferrari on a racetrack!
  • Will I be able to afford it? Absolutely!

 

Get everything you need – and nothing you don’t — all in one place.

It’s on a dime-sale…so the longer you take to check it out, the more it will cost you.

PS – this is only useful for self-hosted WordPress sites (not wordpress.com sites)

Harry Potter Fanpic Underway

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I love Harry Potter.

Yes, I know they are supposed to be children’s books but that’s the inherent success of the series, isnt it? The fact that the stories and characters have so much broad appeal to readers of many ages.

I was amused to read that a series of fanpic books are in planning starting with a biography of Daniel Radcliffe, the Harry Potter character actor plucked from a cinema to take the starring role.

harry_potter_books_1-7_without_dust_jackets_1st_american_eds-_2

 

When you stop to think about it, it’s a great idea to create such a series.

How can you use that idea?

Read More Here.

 

 

Your Book Needs a Marketing Plan

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Writing a book is one thing. Inspired. Gruelling. Character-building.

Yet if you write your book, show a couple of close family and friends, what do you do next? Shove it in a drawer never to see light of day again?

The first thing is to get it professionally proofread and edited.

Then, it’s about pushing your baby out of the nest to fly out into the world.

Here is a good overview of what needs to go into a marketing plan to get your book some traction and promotion.

https://www.standoutbooks.com/13-steps-to-write-a-book-marketing-plan/

Write a Novel: The Snowflake Method

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Sounds so sweet, doesn’t it? The Snowflake Method. Little shards of snowy ice fluttering around us, carpeting the ground and one by one they form a whole.

 

snowflake

 

As innocuous as it sounds, the Snowflake method has been used for years by people who swear it is the reason they managed to write a coherent book.

Now this writer is claiming the method as their own. I know this method to have been around for many years and I’m going to have to research it again to find the originator of the method and whether it is different to the one presented in this blog.

Be that as it may, this is a useful process to follow and it may just be what you need.

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/

Getting Published: 7 steps

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Got that great book still inside you?

Waiting for ‘the right time’ to arrive to get that book written and published?

As you move through life, things only get more complex and all the things you have to wade through just multiply.

There will never be an easier time for you to write than now.

So do it. Don’t wait for ‘someday’. Then get published. Or at least have a go.

Well, it’s not quite that easy. This is more like 7 processes you need to go through if you seek mainstream publishing. Still it is always great to learn from those who have gone before…

http://mythicscribes.com/publishing/how-to-get-a-book-published/

How To Write A Short E-Book in 7 Days

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Our expectations have become such that we’re looking for the easiest, fastest way to do things … and then there a times we just want to get stuff done – especially something we know we need to do and keep putting off.

I’ve written a number of e-books which I use as giveaways to my audiences. But there’s one that I’ve Ben struggling to write and possibly because it’s the topic I am most familiar with. You can be too close to a topic, eh?

So, I can either keep putting it off, or I can put a deadline on it.

Attaching a deadline is one way to motivate yourself to get things done.

So, this gem of an article from Men With Pens lays out a very doable plan to write out your short ebook (or guide, or report or whatever word suits) in seven days with using 2-3 hours a day to get it done.

When I wrote another ebook I was procrastinating on I eventually took myself off to the library or cafe once a day for 2 hours. I took only my Netbook loaded with just the salient research material and my outline chart. Less distractions. The change of environment triggered a different work pattern and I focused for the best part of those two hours.

In a week I had completed the first draft of a 40 page Q&A style ebook and it has been successfully deployed as a lead generator.

What do you reckon? Would it work for you?

http://menwithpens.ca/how-to-write-an-book-in-7-days/