Are you About to Self-Publish?

Motives and Focus

I believe some authors have the idea that writing a book makes them appear more legitimate or important. I believe one's motives for publishing a book should be better than that. 

That leads me to write this blog and ask some important questions:

What is your reason for writing and publishing your book? 

Maybe you do have a good story to tell or sage advice to offer others. Perhaps you've uncovered a niche market that is in search of a solution you can provide. Does that describe you? Then I'd say that's a worthy motive.

Is your motive for writing and self-publishing simply an attempt to earn lots of money? 

When I tell an average new non-fiction author what they can expect to earn from their book, they are sometimes offended. One friend said, "I can't charge a mere $5 for my book after all the work I've put into it!" 

That feeling is common, but ignorant of the truth regarding the book-buying market. People want to buy books at low prices. KDP has a price-setting tool to use and often it suggests a price point of $3.99 to $4.99 on my books.

Think about what you might be willing to pay for a similar book. 

(On a side-note, I think it is awful some people will pay $5 or less and then leave critical reviews. That hasn't happened to me, but I see it all the time. For $5 it isn't very kind to give a hostile review on a piece of work someone probably spent 1,000 hours writing. But neither should you give a 5-star review for something mediocre just because a friend wrote it.) 

I've seen some authors charge over $20 for their book. I'm not sure there is a market for such by unknown authors. I did purchase one and was shocked by how little there was inside the book. It was a good well-written and helpful book, but $28 plus taxes and shipping was extreme in my opinion. 

When you publish with Amazon KDP, you receive a mere percentage of each sale. Big buck earnings are hard to come by.  

Yes, authors put in hours upon hours to write and edit. Some work on projects over years. Some pay for critiques and editing. It adds up. 

If you self-publish, any marketing that is to be done is up to you.  

I don't mean to sound negative, but realistic. This comes from my place of being in the writing world interacting with writers for some time now. 

If you're about to self-publish, do it. But set the right motives,  and set realistic goals for your writing. 

Where To Purchase Web Content

Entrepreneurs have enough balls to keep in the air. In addition to the products or services they offer, there are administrative tasks and keeping up marketing. 

Entrepreneurs will need fresh material for their blog posts, articles to add to their website resource files or mailouts, and perhaps other cross-promotion material. Creating such is time consuming.

Entrepreneurs may be good at many things and writing may or may not be one of those things. To help simplify the writing process , there are a number of freelance writers available to write for them.

Great writers post their pre-written material on sites such as www.Constant-Content.com. That's where I post mine. Here is my profile of available work written under my pen name: https://www.constant-content.com/Author/34906-Joy_R_Calderwood-details-0.htm

Entrepreneurs can also request content there, offering tips of what to include. 

Why Buy Pre-written?

Pre-written content is helpful to the entrepreneur who needs more ideas of what to add or write on next. 

A buyer can look through a batch of pre-written articles at Constant-content.com and choose those that are suitable.  They will be buying exclusive rights which means they can alter the articles to suit their needs and even put their names on them as authors (ghostwriters).

The entrepreneur can also take purchased articles and compile them into e-books or use as workshop materials if they'd like to.  

If you're in need of web content blurbs, blog posts, articles and the like, please look into prewritten content available at the click of a key, purchased online, with no telephone consultations, email exchanges, and so on, needed. A new article can be yours today. 

A Tip for Article Writing

Article Writing 

One way to grow in your writing career is to write articles. I wrote and submitted many articles to magazines hoping for publication. When my first paid article was purchased through a library association, I was overjoyed!

I then began posting free articles with the online platform ezine articles (now defunct). 

Why write articles?  

I wrote articles to promote my life coaching business launched in 2008. However, I realized I also wanted to become a web content writer. By 2010, I discovered I could write and sell web content articles through Constant-Content.com. 

It's important to note why there is such a service. It's because there is a market for articles today like never before. Website owners need articles and blog posts to keep readers coming back, to become educated, inspired, or entertained, and to keep their websites optimized.  

People are Readers

People read articles online daily.  They often set out to give the reader a new perspective or updated information.  Articles are usually informational or inspirational.  Simply reading an article can enlighten a person and change their mood. Articles can be powerful tools that lift others up and that is what I love to do. 

What to Do 

Do you want to be an article writer? 



Re-Writing for Multiple Sales 

Once you're an up-to-speed writer you too will see how easy it is to re-write the same article and potentially sell the topic more than once.  Now, I'm not talking about doing cheap article spinning where you flip things around for the sake of flipping them around sometimes with a spinning program.  What I mean is, re-writing your article from a different angle.

Here is are examples:

Sample article on writing fiction:

Want to write a novel?  Need new ideas?  Put yourself in the story.  Picture where you'd like to go, and what you'd like to see.  How might you see things differently than another person?

Same article re-written:

Are you in the midst of writing a novel and find yourself stuck?  Why not use this trick.  Dress yourself in the era of your novel and walk its streets or corridors.  That's right, put yourself right in there.  Smell, hear, taste, and see the environment.  Write about your experience.

Same article re-written:

Fiction writers have various ways of developing their work.  Many writers like to put themselves right into the story.  Once they've gotten an idea of the era and surroundings, they find it helpful to think about what they might see, where they'd want to go, and what they'd like to do.

How's that for switching things up and making your writing go further? 

If you have questions or comments, feel free to connect. 

Happy Writing!

Be Wary of Your Writing Approach and Motivation

The publishing industry is evolving rapidly. In the past, authors would write a book based on their established platform, and then their agents would search for an audience to sell to. 

A different approach is to write specifically for a particular niche, understanding what they are looking for and tailoring the content to their needs. This is a reader-centric approach, whereas the former is writer-centric.

A writer must give readers what they are searching for lest the content come across as irrelevant or uninteresting. Rambling, spouting, pontificating, reporting, or commenting on a topic may not engage readers looking for something that appeals to them personally. What you write should inform, entertain, educate, or inspire the reader. Choose at least one goal and write with it in mind. 

In today's world, people value personal relevance and a clear takeaway from the content they consume. Thus, it is critical to give readers what they are searching for to feel they have received good value for their time or money spent. 

Tips for Kim's Creative Writing Group

This post is especially for Kim's Creative Writing Group. Thanks for having me share today (August 13, 2020). 

I mentioned a variety of things in my conversation. I want to share some links you may find helpful for trying to make money from your writing, plus a few other opportunities. 

If you have a question, feel free to message me at rjofficejob@gmail.com or through Facebook Messenger here https://www.facebook.com/rosalieg1

Non-paying Writing

Actually, I started out publishing free articles to promote my life coach business on Ezine Articles https://ezinearticles.com/ (NOTE IN 2022 THIS SITE CEASED PUBLISHING NEW MATERIAL.) There are many other ways to publish your work--a blog, for instance. 

Blog 

Start a blog with blogger.com or wordpress.com, market your books on your blog.

Web Content/Online Magazines

1.   I write as Joy R. Calderwood on this site and have sold over 400 articles. Constant-Content  https://www.constant-content.com/freelance-writing-jobs.htm

My personal bio page on Constant-Content. https://www.constant-content.com/Author/34906-Joy_R_Calderwood-details-0.htm

Sites that Pay (various work from home jobs)

1.   https://realwaystoearnmoneyonline.com/5-sites-that-pay-you-over-100-to-write/

2.   On the below link I have submitted to the greeting card companies. I didn't get any accepted. Rappers, poetry writers---the greeting card submissions might be for you!

https://wallethacks.com/i-need-money-websites-to-earn-extra-money/

3.   I haven't used this but you can offer to write for $5 or more https://sellers.fiverr.com/en/

4.    I haven't used this before, but looks interesting. See *notes below. Problogger Jobs

* Some job offers require you work in the US. Remote means work from home usually. If you're from Canada, check if they hire Canadians and how they make payment.  Avoid sites that make you buy a membership. Be careful of sites that ask you to do a practice test. For Constant-Content, I did have to submit 3 articles that passed editing before I could sell. That was okay with me. 

Creative Ideas 

A fabulous way to learn to use more description in your writing https://www.descriptionari.com/

Editing 

Here are examples of editing rates https://www.the-efa.org/rates/

Self-Publishing - Kindle Book or Paperback

KDP.Amazon.com 

My author page on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Garde/e/B00VXXGMRI?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1597348308&sr=1-1

Some Paying, Some Non-Paying 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChristianWritersCommunity/

Life Coach Training 

1.   I trained through Life Purpose Coaching Centres. Here is a Facebook Page. I didn't seem to get to the website. https://www.facebook.com/LifePurposeCoachingCentersIntl/

I've asked friends to let me know where they trained. I'll add it if I find out. 

2.   A friend trained here: Coach U 

3.   Another friend of mine trained here:  Life Purpose Institute 

4.   Check out The ChristianCoachingCentre

I will add to this page as I think of what else may be of help.

5.    Another friend studied with New Life Christian Coaching and did a refresher with Transformation Academy.

I have several blogs on various topics. Here are two others.

https://midlifechristianwoman.blogspot.com/

MinistrytoWomenLPC.Blogspot.com

Managing Writing Inspiration

If you're an article writer who has the option of choosing your own topics to write on, there are a few tips that can help you collect inspiration:

1. Typically, a writer's mind is always writing in the same way an artist's mind is always seeing art in nature.  When an idea pops into your head, scribble it down or get to your computer to jot the idea down. 

2. When you read something online that inspires you, cut and paste it and save it into a special Word file perhaps changing the print colour so you know it is something you copied and not your own work. 

I named my file fodder (material that is used for a particular purpose). When I want to get some writing done to submit for pay, I look in my fodder folder for ideas. 

Content Writer Fees

There is so much web content businesses need. 

They need to update their websites and blogs regularly.  They need blurbs written.  They need articles. 

While there are AI tools that can be used now, good material needs to be input first to generate a good article. Never before, however, have businesses tried to undercut freelance writers. The last three years I've had a drop in sales. Everyone is looking for bargains or using AI themselves it seems. 

With offshore outsourcing, something that's been going on for over ten years now, some of us are up against writers that charge $3.00 an article. We prefer to earn $20 to $400 an article. 

It's important to keep in mind that sometimes you get what you pay for when buying services. Unfortunately, some offshore outsourcers tend to copy, spin, and plagiarize content from others, resulting in poor-quality work.

I refuse to work for wages that are below the legal minimum in my country. In Canada, employers are required to pay a minimum wage to their employees, failure to do so can result in fines or legal action.If you are a business in need of web content that is written in good English, please plan to pay respectfully and purchase from a web content provider you can trust.

Adding Description to Your Story

This was a cover featuring a door
(a photo my daughter took at the Boldt Castle)
was a R. Warren contest submission,
not an actual cover used by R. Warren.

Do you want to write fiction? Do you want to write a memoir that includes storytelling?

During the lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I've taken to learning how to write a story or a memoir. This is a change for me because not only do I not write fiction or stories, I don't read them often either.
Some might think that makes me shallow. Perhaps so. I find some of the descriptive parts of fiction tedious. But as I've been learning, I understand how they help bring a reader into a scene. 

To grow in my learning of how to add description I've done five things. 

First, I wrote my story including all events I wanted to be included. 

Second, I searched online for articles on adding sensory descriptions to stories. I learned about the importance of creating a visual, an aroma, a texture (touch), and sound. These details are easy to read about, but not always as easy to capture. 

Third, I visited websites that give examples of show, don't tell.

Fourth, I pulled some of my husband's fiction books off the shelf and also a few from my daughter's old room. I sat with a notebook and Post-it notes. I looked for examples in these books that might describe parts of my story. 

For instance, for a scene where I'm confronting someone, I looked for the same type of scene in the fiction books. 

Then, I took notes or put a Post-it note on the page to hold the spot. I returned to my story inserting something similar. I didn't copy exactly what the book said, but I used it as an example and worded it to fit my character.

Fifth, I realized my daughter's books weren't helpful as they pertained to fantasy and unreal worlds mostly. I'd need another avenue for this exercise. 

So I took to Amazon. I searched some memoirs for sale that have the "search inside" feature. 

This was fun. I was able to glimpse into so many books! I could even use my keyboard to search for certain words like "farm" or "disappointed". 

I borrowed several examples to put into my story, again rewording lest I be accused of plagiarism. (My examples were far different enough.) 

At one point, I put my story through an online tool called ProWritingAid. It didn't like several of the words I'd used. It suggested I used too many words in some sections. 

On editing, I went through my story again, adding more texture and reworking the story as we always do when editing. 

This has been a very fun and helpful exercise to help me increase my storytelling ability. Even when I write nonfiction, I often tell small stories. I am better prepared now. 

Need Editing or Proofreading?

Are you a blogger, article writer, or Indie author? 

Do you have a short book, article, letter, or other item you would like proofread, edited, or rewritten? 

I am available to work on your project--all done virtually. email

Writing/Proofreading/Copyediting

Rewrites/Critique

Nonfiction Only

  

Don't get caught looking unprofessional! 

Have your writing checked!

Writing Non-Fiction? Are you Realistic?

When I submitted my first book for publishing, publishing houses were still viable. I was brave and submitted a manuscript. The returned message was discouraging as it is for most.  I was told I would do better with a platform. 

But that doesn't mean the person without a platform doesn't have something meaningful to communicate. I don't have a platform. I didn't then, I don't now. But I am a writer.

The response I got that day also urged me to try article publishing first. I made queries to several magazines, mostly to no avail. 

I sold my first print article to the Evangelical Church Library Association for $50. It was a fabulous win for me at the time. 

Then, in 2010, I got a gig with a web content company. To date, I have over 500 purchased articles published in 10 years. This is the anniversary of getting my paid writing career off the ground!

Over time, publishing houses went belly-up. CEOs were let go. Self-publishing began to take the stage.

I don't believe in writers pursuing self-publishing with companies that make you pay to have your book published. Too many friends of mine have ended up with stacks of books in their garages. They have no idea how to sell them.  

I do believe in Kindle Direct Publishing by Amazon (KDP), though. I have had good success with it. Look for my books there under the name Rose Garde, Life Coach.