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Sink Your Teeth into Better Content Writing with the Vampires from True Blood

August 15, 2012 by 4 Comments

Lately, I’ve been catching up with the cheeky and sexy HBO series True Blood. Be still my beating heart! Anyway…I started to think about how True Blood can help improve your content writing.

True Blood (season 1)

True Blood (season 1) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The vampires on True Blood use their eyes to glamour (compel) a person when they need to get out of a sticky situation. It comes in handy for briberies and commandments. But it also comes in handy when you want your content writing to be read by your chosen target audience. It’s how you become an ‘authority’ in your niche market.

Wouldn’t it be great if your content made readers want to take some type of action?

It doesn’t matter if you’d like them to subscribe to your blog, share blog posts or purchase a product/service. The bottom line is that your readers must feel something that makes them ‘want to’ take action based on your content.

Let’s face it; most entrepreneurs and business owners want to drive traffic to their blogs, websites, squeeze pages, and email signup forms.

In order ‘to drive’ your clients, customers and readers, you first must entice them by using the right words within your content writing. Forget about trying ‘to force’ them to take action because you can’t force anyone to do anything. Just ask a parent! [Read more...]

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Top 7 Query Letter Mistakes Makes Writers Minds Explode

July 22, 2011 by 4 Comments
letter Q

Image by Leo Reynolds via Flickr

Dear Authors and Writers,

Are you in violation of making the top 7 query letter mistakes? If you are, don’t worry about it. We’ve all made these mistakes. Remember, you can’t change what you don’t know. The good news is outlined below are the top seven query letter mistakes you can avoid.

Top 7 Query Letter Mistakes

1. Addressing to a ‘phantom’ instead of real person. If you’ve addressed your query letter with Dear Sir, Dear Madam, To Whom It May Concern, or Dear Gentlemen, you committed violation #1. Most of the time, publications will list the names of editors, assistant editors, associate editors, and so on. If you don’t have a name, pick up the phone (I know) and call. Don’t worry, the phone is your friend.

2. Improper format. Do you use a ‘funky font’ instead of Arial, Times New Roman, or some other acceptable font? Do you use 14 pitch instead of 10 or 12? Alas, you may appreciate an off-beat font and large type but editors don’t. Use an acceptable font the next time you write a query letter.

3.  Improper margins. If you’re sending a query via snail mail or email (file), use 1″ margins. Sometimes, publications prefer you to copy and paste your query letter directly into the email which means you don’t have to use 1″ margins. However, if you’re allowed to send attachments, use 1″ margins.

4. Improper file extension. Believe it or not, sending a .docx file isn’t acceptable for all publications. Some still prefer .doc or .txt (text files). Read all of the guidelines before you submit a query letter with the incorrect file extension.

5. More than one page. A two-page query letter is usually frowned upon. Keep query letters to one page. Read and reread your query letter and edit.

6. Spelling mistakes and other errors. Proofread your query letter before you send it. Remember, spell check doesn’t catch all errors. Read sentences to make sure they make sense; correct punctuation You may consider having someone else proofread your query letter. Two pairs of eyes can be better than one!

7. Thanking the editor. Believe it or not, a “Thank You” goes a long way. Thank the editor for their time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Rebecca

P.S.

I know I addressed this blog post in a ‘generic or phantom manner,’ but I don’t know all of your names!

Bonus!

*Insulting the editor and publication. Don’t insult the editor and publication. This will guarantee your query letter will be filed — in the trash!

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Don’t Kill Your Novel Idea: Even John Grisham Was Rejected

July 13, 2011 by 1 Comment
“]Cover of "A Time to Kill [Blu-ray]"

Cover of A Time to Kill [Blu-ray

The July 10, 2011 issue of Parade Magazine featured an interview with John Grisham. His first novel, A Time to Kill was turned down and rejected 30 times; he still has the files. According to John, “I saved all of that stuff.” It makes you wonder if those in the publishing world really know a good thing when they read and see it. Not only is A Time to Kill a wonderful book, it’s a thought provoking movie. Matthew McConaughey’s performance as young lawyer Jake Tyler Brigance shines through at the end when he delivers his closing statement before the jury. I won’t give away the ending in case you haven’t read the book or seen the movie.

Reading that famous author John Grisham was rejected will put you at ease. John eventually was published and has experienced major success since the publication of A Time to Kill. It makes you wonder about the publishers and or literary agents who rejected John’s novel. Are they still in publishing? Are they kicking themselves in the behind? Do they have publishing remorse? How could they not see what a great book A Time to Kill was? Let’s face it; John’s books make great movies. More importantly, they make a lot of money for the arts and entertainment and publishing industries respectively.

John Grisham’s story will inspire you to keep writing every day. Forget about the naysayers because it’s obvious they don’t know what they’re talking about! Whenever you receive a rejection letter from an agent or publisher say the following, “Thank you for rejecting my novel or non-fiction book. I’ll find another literary agent or publisher. No biggie. After all, look at the success of John Grisham. He was rejected 30 times!” Now, go forth and write your novel and know that it will be published.

Rebecca

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Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin Self-Publishes through CreateSpace

June 27, 2011 by Leave a Comment
New Orleans mayor C. Ray Nagin

Image via Wikipedia

Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin published his book Katrina’s Secrets; Storms After the Storm, Vol. 1 through CreateSpace. Why would he do this? It’s obvious he wouldn’t have a problem obtaining a literary agent and publisher to publish his memoir. Mr. Nagin appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and said, “The literary agent and publisher wanted me to change things. I would not have been able to have said what I wanted. That’s why I self-published my book.” Even former mayors of major metropolitan cities see the value of self-publishing and so can you.

If you’re still undecided about self-publishing, allow Mr. Nagin to put your fears to rest. He probably had many publishers to select from, but he decided to publish his book on his own. This gives him more control over the content and how to market his book. He also doesn’t have to pay a literary agent and publisher. Mr. Nagin has the potential to earn more money from self-publishing versus traditional publishing.

The value of self-publishing

1. You don’t have to pay a literary agent and publisher.

2. You decide what you want to write — how deep you want to go.

3. You decide how your book is marketed.

4. You decide the amount of book signings you want to do.

5. You decide how long you want to do a book tour.

6. You decide who’ll design your book cover (interior and exterior).

7. You decide if you want to produce a book trailer.

8. You decide how many chapters/pages your book will be.

9. You decide how many radio/TV appearances you’ll do to promote your book.

10. You decide when and where you’ll speak about your book.

11. You decide if you want to write a second book.

If you’ve been skeptical of self-publishing your book, you may want to reconsider it. Mr. Nagin is proof that self-publishing works. Yes, he’s a famous mayor. But, he still has to market and promote his book like every other author on the planet. Mr. Nagin saw the value of the self-publishing platform. He didn’t want to make changes to his book. He wanted to write and publish it the way he wanted to. He deserves credit for that. Most ‘celebrities or well known people’ would have caved and listened to the literary agent. They would have gone along with the plan to publish a ho-hum or so-so book. Mr. Nagin had the courage to do his own thing. He deserves respect for standing up for his book.

Rebecca

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Why You Want to Read Your Book Out Loud

June 24, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Austrian writer Anna Kim reading from her book...

Image via Wikipedia

Read your book out loud before you query literary agents and publishers. This is a good way to ‘hear’ if your book is ready for publishing. In fact, you may want to give your book to a trusted confidant and have them read your book out loud. Ask them for feedback such as:

1. Does my writing make sense?
2. How did my book ‘sound’ to you?
3. What can I do to improve the quality of my writing
4. Did you receive the message loud and clear?
5. How does my story flow?
6. What could make it stronger?

Answering these and other questions will ensure your book is spot on before it reaches the desk of agents and publishers.

Reading your book aloud is a great way to gain confidence to speak in public. If you’re terrified of speaking in public, reading your book aloud in front of the mirror or a small group will help you squash your fear. It’s a fantastic way to count the number of times you say words like “um and ah.” It’s all right to have a few “ums” (makes you more approachable) but don’t overdo it. Also, you’ll be able to hear and adjust for pauses within your writing.

Many children’s authors sometimes read a few pages from their books to children. To be 100% confident children will understand the flow of your story and characters, read it out loud to the kids in your life or volunteer to read to kids at the library. Reading your book aloud will help you make necessary changes to ensure your target audience gets the message loud and clear.

As a writer, you’ve worked countless hours on your book and have been stuck in your head. Reading your book aloud is a great way to get out of your head and into your body. If your writing is a work of fiction, you can connect with your characters by lending them your voice. Read dialogue and scenes and ask yourself, “Would he/she say that?” Perhaps character traits, dialogue, and scenes require fine tuning.

Don’t be afraid to read your book out loud. If you don’t belong to a writing group, join one and read your book. Ask for constructive feedback on character and scene development, dialogue, grammar and punctuation, and flow of the story. Whether or not you use the feedback is up to you. However, reading your book aloud to your target audience is a good way to know if your story will sell. Remember, publishing is a business. Agents and publishers want stories that sell. Reading your book out loud will help you determine if your story is ready.

Happy reading!

Rebecca

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