Inventing Reality Editing Service

Five Quotes about Writing as Self-Discovery

“Just as a good rain clears the air, a good writing day clears the psyche.” - Julia Cameron

“Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself...It’s a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of his divine discontent.” - Harper Lee

“Words writers choose are like a glimmering reflection into our souls.” - Lee Bice-Matheson

“Writing is like giving birth to yourself.” - Marty Rubin

“A story is a letter that the author writes to himself, to tell himself things that he would be unable to discover otherwise.” - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Do what unsuccessful writers won’t do

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do,” personal development expert Jeff Olson aptly wrote. At least where writing is concerned, that’s certainly true.

Indeed, creating a book, from the first line you pen to having a copy for sale at Amazon.com, requires effort, planning and often sacrifice.

The sacrifice comes in giving up some of those activities that you would otherwise do if not working on your book. You know, things like watching a television show you don’t even care for, going out to the nightclub, reading a magazine in your coziest chair, surfing the Internet for clothes or great deals on items you collect.

When you decide to do these other things rather than write, you make them a priority over your book. There’s nothing morally wrong with that. But it is a choice, and if you want to write and publish a book sooner rather than later, then you probably have to choose differently.

Following through on your choice often requires willpower and determination. Simply saying, “I won’t watch Netflix tonight but instead will write” is not enough. You actually must write during those 110 minutes that you could have watched the movie. Distractions like texting, taking a break for a “quick” game of solitaire, or answering emails aren’t permitted.

Determination also means blocking out those nasty inner demons that like to say: “I’m not a good writer”; “This is not a very good story idea”; “This never will sell”; and “I don’t know what to write next.” Don’t listen to those negative voices. Instead, write. Even if those voices are telling the truth, you can’t become a better writer, can’t develop a great story idea, can’t have a book to sell, and can’t know what to write next until you actually write something. Write, learn how to revise the bad, and keep writing without putting yourself down After all, even an Olympic track star stumbled when first learning to walk as a baby.

So, will you continue to be an unsuccessful writer or will you opt to become a successful one? It’s entirely your decision!

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Don’t use outside firm to market your book

You’ve published a book, maybe even two or three, and none of them seem to be selling. You understand books need to be marketed but haven’t got a clue how and sense that even if your did, it would be a time-consuming task taking you away from writing your next novel. You begin to wonder if hiring an outside firm to market your book is the best option.

My advice: Don’t even think about it. Almost no writer ever breaks even by taking that approach.

Yes, the efforts of an outside firm marketing your book probably will net you a few more sales. Any marketing effort, after all, will result in at least a few sales. But a few Kindle ebooks won’t cover the hundreds of dollars you’ll spend on a marketing package.

Why?

Such companies generally use generic templates and approaches. To be successful, though, you'll want to identify very specific audiences who use very specific platforms that you tailor your marketing efforts for.

Indeed, your marketing effort often needs to extremely targeted when aimed at traditional media or bloggers. If you wrote a book about canoeing routes, a press release sent to a large metro paper likely would focus on the regional appeal of your title to its readers, however, one sent to a local paper would center on the trails from that paper’s circulation effort that appear in your volume. A press release sent to a blogger who writes about the outdoors should have a different emphasis than one sent to a blogger who writes about authors living in your state.

Likewise, with social media, you want to build followers and friends, on Twitter, Facebook and Google+, who are interested in your book. Having 10,000 followers who may never buy your book is pointless (Indeed, many unscrupulous marketing firms create dummy accounts simply to follow and befriend you.). Having 1000 followers who actually like the paranormal romances that you write will result in more interest and sales. Identifying these followers is a lengthy process that often requires your interaction with them.

Improving your author’s website for search engine optimization also requires a very targeted approach. While outside marketing firms may suggest a few words that raise your position on Google or Bing, only through extensive research and some experimentation on what your potential readers use as search engine words will help you. Words like “science fiction” and “western” do help readers find your website about the suite of SF stories you set in the Old West, but potential buyers of your book probably type in words like “alien cowboys” to look for books in the subgenre that you write and that they love to read. You’ll learn what those search engine words only by doing the research and interacting with such readers yourself.

Granted, it's a lot of work, especially at first, but your time is “free” and will be prove more fruitful. Simply put, learning about marketing your book, building an audience, and creating your own promotional templates that can be modified and reused is worth sacrificing a little writing time.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Can I make a living as an indie author?

Wouldn’t it be great to make a living as a writer? You know, no more day job, relaxing days spent at the coffee shop or the beach with pen and notepad in hand, writing exactly what you want?

Is this dream attainable? Or is it just a fantasy?

The good news is plenty of indie authors are able to live from their book earnings and are free from doing the nine-to-five routine. Getting there requires a lot of work, though, and you may not lead the lifestyle of the rich and famous (at least at first!).

In June 2016, the website Author Earnings analyzed Amazon.com bestseller lists to determine the state of the self-publishing market, as most indie authors rely on the Internet seller to sell and distribute their books. While Amazon doesn’t release sales figures, we have a good idea as to how many books are needed to reach certain spots on the bestsellers list as well as how much can be earned from a book sale. Track titles on bestsellers list by paying attention to the information for a long period of time, and you can give a fairly accurate picture of author earnings.

According to their analysis, about 4600 authors earn at least $25,000 annually from Amazon.com sales. About 40 percent of those authors are indie writers who’ve self-published. Another 35 percent are Big Five authors and 22 percent authors whose titles were handled by small- or medium-sized publishers.

Of those 4600 authors, only 1,340 make more than $100,000 a year from book sales, the analysis found.

Meanwhile, another 3000 authors earn just $10,000 a year from book sales. This may not be enough to live on, but it makes a heavy dent into the mortgage or car payments.

These numbers, of course, are only from Amazon.com sales. Many authors, even those who self-publish, sell their titles at bookstores and through other avenues, such as book fairs and at readings or presentations. So actual earnings from book sales are somewhat higher than given in the report. When taking that into account, more than 4600 authors likely earn above $25,000 annually.

Another element to consider is that some authors actually have written books to support their businesses – for example, a financial planner might write about the topic to sell at presentations on how to prepare for retirement. The book helps give the financial planner credentials and attracts people to his presentations that require a fee to attend. In this sense, the book sales aren’t as important as the presence of a book, which brings in other earnings.

There’s one caveat to the report: The majority of the self-published authors earning above $10,000 annually have been writing and publishing for a minimum of five years. A beginning author clearly needs to develop readership through an author’s platform and have a number of books published to get into the top brackets.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

No more errors in your writing: Less vs. fewer

If you want to be a member of the Grammar Police, just grab a red pen and head down to your local supermarket. Once inside, look for a sign that says something like 10 Items or Less. 

What’s the error? It should be 10 Items or Fewer.

Always use fewer for quantifiable objects. As “items” can be counted, they are quantifiable. Because of this, you take fewer pretzels and fewer vacation days.

Use less when what you’re discussing what isn’t quantifiable or countable, when you’re talking about something that is nebulous or generalized. So to successfully diet, you would eat less junk food, and your stupid boss doesn’t care if vacation means less stress in your life.

On second thought, before going down to the supermarket to cross out less and write fewer in its place, first check your own writing for this mistake.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Four writing prompts: Loss

Good stories center on the clashing of characters’ goals and motivations. Sometimes a character’s goals and motivations arise from regaining a feeling that existed when someone leaves or goes missing. Here are four writing prompts for stories that center on loss.

Man vs. nature
During an expedition, a calamity occurs, cutting off our main character from most of his party. How does he survive and overcome the challenges of nature as trying to reunite with the main group?

Man vs. man
What if our main character has taken care of someone special (perhaps a foster child, an orphan, etc.) for a period of time and one day a person comes along to claim that special someone? How does our main character stop this new person from taking that special someone?

Man vs. society
Our main character finds he suffers from a spiritual emptiness that broader society seems to encourage because of its declining ethical behavior. In a decadent society, how does he lead a life based on his deeply-held moral values?

Man vs. himself
The protagonist is in a healing profession – probably psychology – but despite his success with others finds that he is unable to heal his own broken heart. What is needed for him to heal (Perhaps the one patient he seems unable to help?)?

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Use subplot to give story more depth

One way to give your story depth is to include a subplot, which is a secondary plot line. This sometimes is referred to as the B story, a term from screenwriting.

A subplot typically centers on the supporting characters to the protagonist and antagonist. For example, if you wrote a science fiction story about a fleet officer rallying remnants of a defeated star service to rebel against a conquering alien force, a subplot might involve an intelligence officer’s effort to uproot a turncoat who is spying for the aliens. While the main story centers on the fleet officer, the subplot involves his subordinate intelligence officer.

The subplot usually connects to the main plot in some way. In the previous subplot example, the intelligence officer’s effort is important to developing the action; if the spy isn’t discovered, then the rebellion likely will fail. Sometimes the subplot is used to develop characters, though. For instance, the fleet officer, because of the devastation caused to the service’s ranks, asks a young ensign with limited experience but who shows promise to serve as a ship commander; a subplot could involve the ensign learning how to become a leader. Often the subplot is linked thematically to the story. The fleet officer’s chief engineer might be trying to gather together and rally enough other competent engineers to serve aboard the ship, though many are doubtful of a rebellion’s eventual success; the chief engineer’s efforts parallel the fleet officer’s as both approach their similar problem from different angles, which can be compared and contrast as the theme of leadership is explored.

Subplots always take up a smaller portion of the overall story and are weaved into the main plotline, usually as a break between major scenes involving the hero and villain. While a subplot could stand as its own story, it’s more powerful when used within the framework of the larger story.

A subplot also provides relief from the main plot. It marks a change in scene, often offering a new location or fills the time when the main character is performing some mundane action like traveling between two points. If the supporting character is humorous, this comic relief can provide a break from the story’s ever-rising tension before it exhausts the reader.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Five Great Quotations on What is a Writer

“Writers, like elephants, have long, vicious memories. There are things I wish I could forget.” - William S. Burroughs

“Writing is...being able to take something whole and fiercely alive that exists inside you in some unknowable combination of thought, feeling, physicality, and spirit, and to then store it like a genie in tense, tiny black symbols on a calm white page.” - Mary Gaitskill

“Nothing but black ink runs through my veins!” - Hiromu Arakawa

“Writers build their own realities, move into them and occasionally send letters home. The only difference between a writer and a crazy person is that a writer gets paid for it.” - David Gerrold

“Writers are nothing more than borderline schizophrenics who are able to control the voices.” - Jennifer Salaiz

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Achieve your writing vision by setting goals

To be successful at anything – including writing – you must set clear goals.

Without goals, you are merely meandering, a stream that covers ground until reaching the lowest point. With goals, you are a mighty torrent carving out a great canyon.

Unlike a business selling a product or someone losing weight who look at numbers to measure their success, writing goals are a bit more nebulous. If your goal is to write a novel within a year, for example, you can plan to write x number of words per day, but doing so is no assurance that the novel will be any good.

Instead, approach writing goals via action steps that follow the writing process over a set period. For example, you might outline the novel or nonfiction book chapter by chapter over a month. You then would write x words per day over three months (Penning just 778 words daily over 90 days will get you a 70,000-word book). Next, revise x pages of that draft per day over three months. Then you will revise x pages of the revised draft daily for the next three months. This still leaves you two months to spare; you might use that time to make one last revision of the parts that still bother you or to format the book for self-publishing. Without an action plan, though, you’re just a stream lacking a course that will reach its destination only through luck.

If you already have such goals but as a writer feel like you’re doing no better than cutting a furrow, you probably suffer from one of two problems.

First, your goals may be too great for the amount of energy you bring to the task. A river can carve out a canyon in a few million years, but a small creek likely would need hundreds of millions of years to accomplish the same task. To achieve your goal in a year, you may need to churn out more words and dedicate more time to writing each day. If you need two hours rather than the one hour you’ve dedicated daily to writing 778 words, then you need to commit yourself to an additional hour of writing. Otherwise, you’ll have to settle on taking two or three years to achieve your goal.

A second problem is that you may not be working toward the goal in an efficient way. Even the mightiest river will pool into a lake if it hits hard enough rock. The canyon is carved when the water hits soft, erodible rock. Likewise, you need to find a way to achieve your goal by finding the path of least resistance to it. That likely means focusing your writing sessions on a single manuscript, not waiting for “inspiration” to strike, and mastering new writing skills and knowledge related to your genre.

Unless you’re content just journaling for the pleasure it intrinsically brings, set a writing goal and devise a workable action plan to achieve it. Do anything less is resigning yourself to never being published.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

Maximize shares, retweets by using images

One of the best ways to get posts related to your book shared is by posting a picture. In fact, studies show that posts with an image have an 87% greater shot of being shared than those without.

Being visual-oriented creatures, we are more likely to notice a post when a picture is included. In addition, if the picture is particularly appealing, many social media users believe it adds to the appeal and the cred of a post that is shared or retweeted.

Given this, when selecting an image for your post, you’ll want to ensure it’s the optimal size for sharing and retweeting. That probably means you’ll need to crop the image before loading it to your site. Not doing so may mean that the social media site auto-crops it for you, resulting in part of the image being cut off, reducing its effectiveness. As each social media has a slightly different size and dimensions for their shared images, try to pre-crop the image so that it will work on each one with a little dead space on the sides for the social media site to auto-crop.

While the photo doesn’t need to be the exact size as follows, it should fit the same proportions (the first number is the height, the second is the width, both measurements in pixels):
• Facebook – 1200 x 630
• Google+ – 497 x 373
• Twitter – 440 x 220

Be aware that sometimes social media sites change these dimensions. Because of this, generally an image that can be trimmed with the main thrust of its content at the center works best.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.