Quote For the Week

 

"Success Is Not Final. Failure Is Not Fatal: It Is The Courage To Continue That Counts."

                                    - Winston Churchill 

 

Sources For Authors

 

Recommendations For Writers

 

YouTube Channels:

 

Bethany Atazadeh - Detailed and helpful videos about indie publishing from a thriving indie author. Atazadeh shares important information on marketing, publishing, book releasing, and so much more. 

 

Book Launchers - Short, helpful videos on various topics for aspiring indie authors

Krystalle Bianca - A helpful channel for getting an honest, inside-look into the life of a young writer and her process to publishing her first book. 

Heart Breathings - Great for writers who thrive in an organized environment. This is not a Christian resource, so there is the possibility of offensive language and/or questionable topics in the content. Viewer discretion is advised.

The Rebel Christian - A refreshing channel just starting up that fantasy writers would find insightful. Thus far the channel has delved into areas like magic systems, world building, and redemption arcs.

Derek Murphy - Provides a wealth of information on all sorts of topics for authors. From cover design, to publishing he has you covered. This is not a Christian resource, so there is the possibility of offensive language and/or questionable topics content. View discretion is advised. 

Books:

A Novel Idea By Angela Hunt et al. - A marvelous compilation of writing advice from numerous best-selling authors. From writing characters, to plotting, to composing your first cover letter these talented writers give their sage advice. You'll also find encouraging faith tidbits and some comic relief that makes you want to sit down and pick up your pen. This book is a wealth of information and though it might be an investment, I assure you its the best one you'll probably ever make in your writing career.

Templates:

DIY Book Formats by Derek Murphy. - These templates have been such a blessing! Great for indie authors or those who are visual and work better writing their book in a traditional format. By going to: www.diybookformats.com you can download FREE book templates for Microsoft Word. That's right, no fee is required and you can write your your novel in the typical book format. All you have to do is fill in the template with your own words. Also, cover DIY book templates are available for free, and Derek Murphy has uploaded several tutorials on his YouTube channel (see above) for how to work on both templates. However, you must have at least a solid understanding of how to use Microsoft World before trying out these templates. I thought I knew Word pretty well, and I still had to learn a lot through trial-and-error. Nevertheless, these templates are well laid out and extremely helpful. 

 

Map Builders:

Inkarnate - A great site for making realistic fantasy maps that you can use for commercial purposes. However, the free version of Inkarnate has incredibly limited resources, so I advise paying for the pro version. Depending on how long you will need to work on your map, you could pay monthly or yearly, and the prices are quite reasonable. Try the free version out first to ensure that Inkarnate will work for you. There are multiple tutorials on YouTube and if you have any questions, there is support right at hand. Inkarnate also has a Discord server where you can talk with advisors and other creators to get ideas and further assistance. 

 

Hopefully some of these resources proved helpful, and happy writing.

 

-Lydia R. Sherren

 

 

Quote For The Week

 

 

"If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor."

 ~ Edgar Rice Burroughs

Marketing Your Book: The Text

 

Your Text Appearance Matters 

   

  Sometimes we get so stuck on formatting the cover of our book, we forget that the internal layout of the book is also crucial. The fonts you use, design, and even artwork that goes into your book has to be carefully thought through.

 

    Generally, the font you use for the title of a chapter or subheading is tied to the font you used on the front cover - or at least, one of the fonts you used on your front cover design. With all the fonts out there, it's easy to get sidetracked and pick several pretty designs, but you need to be consistent and give yourself only a handful of fonts to work with. 

 

    The font you use for your text doesn't have to be the standard (Times New Roman), as a matter of fact, if you browse through the genres, you will find that different text fonts are used depending on the genre. The style of your text is one of the elements of your book that should immerse the reader into the world or story that you have created. For example, if you are writing a thriller novel, use body text that is unique, and maybe a little bold or chilling. This could create a sense of anticipation in your reader, which is required for a thrilling piece of literature. 

    It's totally safe to experiment with different fonts until you find one you like, and it's totally fine if you end up choosing a font in the final stages of your editing - it's one of the things that can wait till the end. Meanwhile, while you're writing, get a general feel for you novel, and that will give you ideas for the style you want your text to be in. 

    If you want to take it a step further, you might want to add some pieces of artwork or a standard design. Whether it be a pattern in the top left corner of your page or a little motif under the chapter header, you need to be careful with how you present your added elements. Don't add too many effects, or else the reader will become so sidetracked by the pretty filigree and swirls that they might find it hard to focus on the actual text of the book. 

 

    What you are essentially looking for when it comes to layout is something that reflects the book in a simple and enticing way for the reader. Limit yourself to a design or a few fonts that encourage the reader to continue reading your work and that allows them to enter into the world you have created. 

 

   ~Lydia R. Sherren 

Quote For The Week

                                                                                 

"Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way."

                                                                                              -  E. L. Doctorow

Book Marketing: The Cover

                                                                    

Your Book Cover Is Everything

     

    You have completed the inner layout of your book and now have to spend some serious time working on the book cover, but where do you start? The book cover is crucial to selling your manuscript. The design of your novel is going to be what makes someone want to pick up or pass it by. 

 

    For those who are new and learning about marketing and cover design, I have a few suggestions and tips. You can always hire a professional graphic designer for the job, but that costs big dollars, so if you can design the cover yourself, you should totally go for it. 

 

    Right out of the gate you should check out the competition. Do a wide search on your genre. What are the typical elements for the book covers in your genre? Do they use bright, solid colors? Is there a picture of the main character on the front? This also includes looking at best-selling books in the genre and seeing what kind of cover art they used. Of course, you cannot copy the cover, but it will give you an idea about what the readers of that genre are attracted to the most.  

 

    Also, keep in mind that you are not trying to explain the book through its cover. The cover does not necessarily have to be what the book is about, it has to be what is the most attention-grabbing. The reader will find out more when they read the excerpt on the back.

 

    Remember, you book's cover is going to determine if it will best-seller or a drop-out. When someone is scanning the shelf and happens to pick up your book amidst hundreds of others, the first thing they will glance at is the cover. The cover should capture their attention in a second, and will be what entices them to open your book. 

 

    Keep in mind that while you want your book to grab someone's attention, you don't want to strive for a "super awesome" out-of-this-world book cover either because it will give the reader very high expectations for the novel. If this is the case, when the person starts reading the book, they will probably be dissappointed because it doesn't meat the pre-conceived idea you gave them through the cover. 

    So, in summary: Know your genre. Make sure your book cover holds the appropriate elements for that genre. Do not go over-board but focus on something relatively simple and eye-catching. But most importantly, make sure that your book cover reflects who you are. 

 

 ~ Lydia R. Sherren 

Character Growth

                                                                                

Let The Changes Flow

 

       "Character growth" isn't a term used to refer to just the emotional and spiritual growth of your character, but also involves the outward appearance of your protagonist. The appearance of your character expresses a lot about who they are and even at times can expression their personality - or maybe, just the opposite. 

 

    What I want to address in regards to this, is don't be afraid when your character changes in their appearance. It is important to maintain a consistent character for your protagonist so that they will respond to situations or give advice in a manner that is prevalent to their overall attributes. Their general structure and persona should not face alteration, just growth. But one attribute that you can allow change to occur in, is the outward appearance. 

 

     Don't freak out when your blonde becomes a brunette, or your character goes from short and stalk-like, to tall and slender. Outward appearance is one of those things that you can let the tides of change flow freely over with no restrictions or rules. Eventually, you are going to come across the perfect outer appearance for your character, but until that time comes, don't try to stop the tide.

 

    A base for your character's attributes, once made, should generally stay the same. But outward appearance is one of those things that will change as you grow to learn more about your character and the situations that surround them.

 

    Growth in character appearance is one of those things you shouldn't try to stop.

 

~Lydia R. Sherren