Use this Covid-19 pause to reconsider and refresh the elements of your author platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Better Blurbs For Better Living.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Are your (book) blurbs OK?<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we\u2019ve been told over and over, the cover is the first thing that grabs the reader\u2019s attention. The cover tells him\/her what kind of book s\/he is looking at: romance (sweet or steamy), women\u2019s fiction, mystery, thriller, horror, sci-fi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The blurb (also known as the sales pitch, cover copy, or on Amazon, the \u201cproduct description\u201d) is the second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But once you grabbed\/seduced\/lured the reader, then what?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then you have to make the sale\u2014and that\u2019s where the blurb comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At a time when you\u2019re finding it difficult to write, refreshing an existing blurb can be a productive use of your time, a satisfying outlet for your creativity and an opportunity to increase your sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. M Is For Metadata.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Review your categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Gaughran tells us that \u201cKDP is now explicitly stating that we are permitted TEN categories for each of our books.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you haven\u2019t already signed up for\u00a0DG\u2019s newsletter<\/a>\u2014he keeps a sharp eye on publishing and is generous about sharing info\u2014now would be a good time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Revisit your keywords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Out with the old. In with the new\u2014and more relevant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dave Chesson\u2019s Publisher Rocket<\/a> does the tedious work of searching for keywords (and does ditto for categories) that will help make your book more visible to browses and readers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Brainstorm for Brilliance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When you can\u2019t write, maybe you can brainstorm, which is, after all, the fun part. When you let loose, when you forget about sparkling prose, passive verbs and adverb infestation, who knows what brilliant thoughts are just lurking in your subconscious, waiting to be unleashed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Liberate Your Inner Artist.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If your sales\u2014and income\u2014have been hit by Covid, DIY art and graphics are more appealing than ever. Learning your way around on-line art sites can be fun that yields practical results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maybe you\u2019d like to try making a cover even though you\u2019re not a designer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps you could jazz up your blog, Instagram feed, or FaceBook page with a new banner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Or refresh your ads, create a new business card or bookmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Orphaned Books. You Know, The Kind That Don\u2019t Spark Joy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re stuck at home, but, like so many of us, the words won\u2019t come and you can\u2019t write, perhaps this period of enforced down time is ideal for you to revisit unfinished and abandoned books. Maybe the solutions to the problems that once stopped you in frustration, will become apparent now that some time has passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plot holes<\/a>\u2014they\u2019re not forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Janet Evanovich\u2019s simple method of not-exactly-outlining<\/a> might help you figure out where you\u2019ve gone wrong and how to go forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Strengthen Your Characters.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If the plot\u2019s OK, but the characters are wooden (or maybe plastic\u2014and you\u2019re not writing sci-fi), now might be the right time to pay them a visit and give them a pulse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are 8 suggestions<\/a> about how to create a memorable character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. Embrace That Crappy First Draft.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Typos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clich\u00e9s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Passive verbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Banal descriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lapses in logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adverbs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve all committed these sins (and more because we\u2019re creative), but, because we take our work and our readers seriously, we don\u2019t give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Henry Guinness at the NYT calls himself \u201ca big fan of awful first drafts<\/a>\u201d and shares a useful trick about how to use that embarrassing first draft to move toward a finished product you can be proud of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. Learn to Self-Edit.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Harry Guinness goes on to explain: \u201cThe secret to good writing is good editing<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a long-time editor, I would go even further and say that good editing is (almost) everything. Obviously, you have to get the words down first, but, after that, multiple rounds of editing will help you clarify your thinking and lead to a polished work in a way that can seem (almost) magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another plus is that several rounds of self-editing before you unleash your work on the public or on your editor will save you one-star reviews and your editor time. Which will consequently will save you money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 10. How to Feel like a Real Writer.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If none of these ideas appeal to you or if you\u2019re just feeling generally blah, why not do what real writers do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Procrastinate. 🙂<\/p>\n\n\n\n Excerpted from Anne R. Allen’s Blog… with Ruth Harris by Ruth Harris.(@RuthHarrisBooks) April 26, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n\n Click here<\/a> to read the entire blog post, which is chock full of gems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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