4 Reasons to Enter Book Awards

When Will Smith was nominated for best actor for his role in the movie ‘Ali’, the actor told ABCNEWS, “It really is an honor just to be nominated…. Just being nominated for an Oscar, you have ‘Oscar nominee Will Smith,’ you know

I know. Will, from the nomination date has been referred to as ‘Oscar nominee Will Smith,’ and that title will remain unless he wins an Oscar. Being nominated for an award for my book, Whisper of Lies is a great feeling of accomplishment. It tells me that I’ve done my job to entertain the reader and this has nothing to do with ego. Every one of us, no matter what field of work we are in, wants to be respected, appreciated and recognized for our efforts. So like Will Smith, I feel honoured just to be nominated. Writing books is a business and as such, authors have to try different avenues to give their books exposure to have a successful business.

Below is an article that outlines 4 benefits authors will gain by putting their book up for an award.

According to R.R. Bowker publishing statistics, about a million new books are hitting the market each year. And short of being J.K. Rowling or John Grisham, it can be hard to get your book the notice it deserves.

One way to try to earn your book additional notice is to enter book award contests. Book awards are an easy and affordable marketing option, and if you win or place in the competition, the returns can be substantial. Not all awards will earn you celebrity status, but reputable awards do have the potential to attract attention. Here are some of the benefits of winning a book award:

1. Gain notice from readers. Putting a book award seal on the front cover of your book or listing it in your book description or author bio makes it stand out and signals that it is a book to pay attention to. Your award seal says, “I’m a book that’s been honored. Look at me first. You can be assured that I’m a quality book worthy of your attention.” Award-winning status can get your book reconsidered or noticed by readers for the first time and help it stand out from other similar books on the market.

2. Get credibility and prestige in a challenging marketplace. Winning a book award or even being a finalist demonstrates your book’s quality and value. The credibility gained with a distinguished book award has the potential to gain attention for your book from journalists, reviewers, distributors, and buyers. And we all know readers gravitate toward award-winning books; think of an award seal like a stamp of approval akin to an Oscar, Emmy, or trophy in other fields.

3. Increase your PR possibilities. Being an “award-winning author” can lead to newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television appearances, book reviews, and newsletter and blog mentions. Obtaining media interest often takes a good bit of time and effort, but being an award winner could help your chances of press coverage. For more information about communicating with the media, see Preparing Your Online Media Kit or watch the webinar How to Land and Perform on More TV and Radio Shows.

4. Increase your sales and get your book in new markets. As a winner, you can actively spread the word about your success. Chances are your award can help create positive perceptions among your audiences. That can translate into increased book sales and expanded market opportunities.

There are dozens of book awards in the U.S., not to mention those offered in other countries. Some awards are wide open, some are only open to members of literary groups, and others have detailed eligibility requirements for entry. There’s always a chance you could come across a phony award, so be sure to look into the credibility of the program by talking with the award director and other writers. Your first step is to look for awards that suit your book, your budget, and your promotional goals, which begins with a simple Internet search. To get you started, see 2012 Competitions for Independently Published Books for ideas.

This article was lifted from a post written by a CreateSpace Blogger that I came across at the same time my novel, Whisper of Lies was nominated. Good karma, perhaps!

Write It, Work It, Publish it!

© 2012 Cherry-Ann Carew

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, NEWSLETTER, MAGAZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, but ensure you include this complete resource box:

Cherry-Ann Carew, aka The Power Writing Coach, Editor, Best-selling author and Founder of Writetastic Solutions is passionate about helping aspiring fiction and non-fiction writers bring out their creative expression to write their books. Learn how her coaching and editing services can help you at www.writetasticsolutions.com.

You Don’t Need To Know The Kama Sutra To Write Sex Scenes

A few readers, who have read my novel Whisper of Lies, asked me, “Where did you learn all those moves?” The question relates to the sex scenes in the book, and I have quite a few. I find this enquiry amusing.

Writers do not need to know the Kama Sutra to write sex scenes. However, depending on what a writer wishes to convey about the characters, she will research like she would any other subject. And, of course, she can use her imagination.

Sex scenes, like any other scene in your book should serve a purpose. It’s not only about the sexual act. This form of writing requires a different level of writing, however. Below is an article, My Favorite Sex Scene, written by fiction author Jessica Barksdale Inclán, who teaches how to craft a relatable—and memorable—sex scene:

I spent yesterday on the UCLA campus in the Public Affairs Building (aptly named, I think) to teach sex scene writing. Three or four times a year, I sojourn down to Westwood and teach amazing students things that I imagine they might want to know about it. Sex scene writing is definitely a skill all writers should master because sex is a wonderful way to convey character, plot, and theme. No doubt about it, how we do it says a lot about who we are, the state of our relationships, and what we want.

Sex shows the connection between the characters–or the lack of one. Sex allows their neuroses and flaws and issues to bubble to the surface, raw and real. Sex shows how good things are and how bad they will get. We need to praise D.H. Lawrence and Henry Miller and Anais Nin and dear E.M. Forster for trying to put these ideas forth to the world, giving us the opportunity to write characters in full life.

In the course of the class, I showed a few clips from films because film can really “do” a sex scene. The lucky film makers don’t have to worry about euphemisms for body parts (please strike sword, sheath, and shaft from your lexicon immediately). At least, when the director is thinking about character, plot, or theme. When the director is just thinking, “Damn, we need some skin in this flick,” the sex scene isn’t useful to us except in that prurient way sex scenes can be useful. We watch the body doubles and the body parts, and say, “Well, my word.”

One of my favorite sex scenes isn’t really “sex,” but a physical connection between two characters. This scene isn’t from writing but from a film, “Persuasion.” Here it is. Our dear, bedraggled Anne Elliot (Amanda Root) and Wentworth (Ciran Hinds) are walking in the countryside. It has been a long walk, and Wentworth is pretending not to notice that Anne is flagging. But when a carriage approaches, and it is discerned there is room for one person, Wentworth persuades Anne to get in. She can’t believe he’s actually paying attention to her, as he’s been flirting with and acting charming toward all others but her the entire day. And then he helps her into the carriage and grabs her gently at the waist and helps lift her to her seat.

Oh! My! God! You can feel that touch through the screen into your heart. By that touch alone, damn, you know he loves her. Eight years of separation and longing and anger and resentment and need all in one touch. This one touch changes the plot. This one touch begins to change Anne and Wentworth. The story moves on from that moment.

You are probably a little disappointed in me, I know. Maybe you wanted me to pick Diane Lane’s scene in “Unfaithful” or something from “Body Heat.” But no, it was wither this scene or that flipping amazing kiss in “Witness” between Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis. And maybe it’s not even the kiss in “Witness” that changes everything but the view Harrison gets of Kelly as she’s bathing, the light warm, her desire and acceptance of his gaze obvious.

Yowza!

After we watched examples and then read some sex scenes aloud, I gave my class the exercise of pairing up couples from their work. Thinking about their story or stories, put together the people who are or will or could or might or who should not have sex. Think about the idea of what they would learn from the sex they would have with this other character, despite and because of their relationships with each other.
And then write that scene, using all the good ideas we talked about, many from “The Joy of Writing Sex” by Elizabeth Benedict. This includes being specific, detailed, and clear. No exaggeration, no euphemisms that make us laugh our guts out. No clichés. No pulsing or heaving or breasts “growing.” (I am still unclear on how breasts grow or get heavy during sex. Please advise). No “It was the most amazing…” anything. No “He had never experienced anything like this . . .” ever.

Of course, the sex scene can be “bad sex.” Yes, characters have bad sex like the rest of us now and again, and that also tells us something about character, plot, and theme.

As they wrote, so did I, realizing that in editing, I’d managed to take out the one sex scene that all my readers had likely been waiting for.
So if you are at home and have no good sex scenes to watch, give this exercise a go. Guaranteed to interest!

Write It, Work It, Publish it!

 

© 2012 Cherry-Ann Carew
WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, NEWSLETTER, MAGAZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, but ensure you include this complete resource box:

Cherry-Ann Carew, aka The Power Writing Coach, Editor, Best-selling author and Founder of Writetastic Solutions is passionate about helping aspiring fiction and non-fiction writers bring out their creative expression to write their books. Learn how her coaching and editing services can help you at http://www.writetasticsolutions.com.

3 Easy Ways To Fight Off The Minutiae That Surrounds Writing Your Book

Writing a book is a challenge, you already know that? There’s no running away from it – so much needs to be done: expanding your idea, plotting, researching character names, setting, actual writing, rewriting, editing, etc.

Then there are other essentials outside of the writing process that you need to put in place before you even publish your book, i.e. writing your pitch, synopsis, chapter breakdown, press release – all of these require a different level of writing. Then there’s marketing, more research and on and on.

Overwhelm yet with all the details that are required for the process of writing? And that’s not all. I know. I also know it’s a test of your sanity to keep focused to make everything gel… so much to do, so little focus.

So how do you create a plan of action and stick to it? More importantly, what can you do when you meander away from the plan, because being human, you will, whether due to circumstances beyond your control, or you’re just plain distracted?

How do you do it? How do you pace yourself so that you can get to the finish line? Here are 3 Easy Ways To Fight Off The Minutiae That Surrounds Writing Your Book that will help kick you into gear:

1) First, I invite you to read an article I wrote titled: Thinking About Writing Instead of Writing? 6 Steps to get you Started.

2) It’s common to become fixated on the minutiae for varying reasons. In my experience it’s usually during the planning process where many aspiring writers get bogged down. When this happens, take some time out along with deep breaths then ask:

a) What is blocking my progression?
b) What am I avoiding?
c) Am I fearful that no one would be interested in my book?
d) Most importantly, What do I want to accomplish?

If you know what the problem is you can do something about it. Pinpointing what those blockages are will allow you to move forward.
If you’re still stuck, it’s good to talk. Speak with someone who can relate to what you are working to achieve. It could be a writing coach or a group of like-minded writers or readers. If you are besieged with marketing tasks, farm them out to free yourself from those undertakings that you do not enjoy, or don’t have the time to do so you can focus on your writing. The point is you don’t have to go the journey alone. Get all the help and support you can.

Take note of question ‘d’ – it’s powerful. Once you understand what you intend to achieve from your writing labours, you’ll become inspired and step up your productivity.

3) Continue to trust in your belief that you can do it because you are unique and you have what it takes to get your message out. Whether you are writing to inspire, motivate or entertain, believe that you can, and you will.

Write It, Work It, Publish it!

© 2012 Cherry-Ann Carew

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, NEWSLETTER, MAGAZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, but ensure you include this complete resource box:

Cherry-Ann Carew, aka The Power Writing Coach, Editor, Best-selling author and Founder of Writetastic Solutions is passionate about helping aspiring fiction and non-fiction writers bring out their creative expression to write their books. Learn how her coaching and editing services can help you at www.writetasticsolutions.com.

 

My NaNoWriMo Journey – Day 5-What’s This About Painting Toe Nails?

An idea, in my opinion is amorphous, no matter how great. How you conceptualize that idea, give it goals, shape, and expand it to its fullest is the fun part for me. And I’m having a ball doing just that with a couple of characters.

As mentioned before, my outline was rushed, so I didn’t get a chance to create, or plan these new characters in their entirety. I generally get into their skin (and sometimes under), experience their back story, their courage, fears, failures, quirks, not so nice personality, and even paint their toe nails if need be!

Anal or what? But that’s how I do it even if some of their actions are not used or reflected in the story. The idea is to make them and the situation I’m placing them in, as evocative and compelling as possible.

They (new characters) appear to be resonating and realistically evolving through the journey I’ve created for them so far.

Over 20K words and onward I go.

My NaNoWriMo Journey – Day 1-Outlining Not Typing

I’ve committed to writing the draft of my follow-up novel (the sequel to the prequel Whisper of Lies), over the next 30-days by participating in NaNoWriMo. For those of you not familiar with it, NaNoWriMo means ‘National Novel Writing Month.’ It has become an annual affair during the month of November.

‘Quote:’ It’s a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing on November 1. The goal is to write a 50,000 word, (approximately 175 page) novel by 11:59:59, November 30. ‘Unquote.’ You can find more info. here.

Tall order that, whipping out 50,000 words, especially if you are a novice. If you’re looking for inspiration to get going on that book you’ve placed on ice or you’ve been meaning to start writing, but lacked the know-how, register at NaNoWriMo and join a community in your area. Interact in the forums and connect with a writing buddy.

That said, how do you get off the mark if you’re looking for some inspiration? My advice is to do a brain dump. Empty all the scenes you’ve been playing in your head like a mini movie on to the page. Remember, the focus is based on word count, not quality.

Arguably, this could seem counterintuitive, because there is a lot involved when writing. Nevertheless, use this opportunity to test that you can commit and you can be disciplined. At the end of the month, you will have a finished product that you may be able to edit and thereafter publish.

Good luck!

As for me, not a bright beginning to this journey, I will admit. But before I elaborate on that admission, I have to explain that my decision to commit to NaNoWriMo was impromptu. Why? My simple answer is that though I had decided to take the rest of the year off after my book, Whisper of Lies, was launched in March, I’ve been mentally percolating the sequel, and well… in all honesty, I must be crazy given my current work load. To add, I decided to blog about how I’m doing and the challenges that I know I will face each day.  Surely that is confirmation that I am stark, raving bloody mad!

I may be a pro, but I have methods that I use when preparing to write a book which include outlining the overall book chapter-by-chapter and, that generally takes weeks. So given that I made the decision over the weekend, my elaborate admission is that I have not started on day 1. Rather, I spent the weekend and day 1 working on the outline using a beat sheet covering such things as, concept (extension of my idea), through line (aka elevator pitch), theme, hook, outlining scenes etc. So I have a lot of catching up to do. When inspiration takes over, I can knock out 5k to 10k words during the course of a day.

For this book, that is untitled, the concept and through line was not terribly challenging, as it’s an extension of the first book. Finding a hook that I felt was compelling took some mulling over. I’m pretty happy with what I came up with. So, through my folly, I’m envisioning a rough draft by the end of the month and that is empowering for me.

Now I need some stimulus to provoke my fingers to tap these keys.

Whisper of Lies (my Novel) Showcased in the London Met Alumni Quarterly

 

Alumna Cherry Ann Carew talks about her latest book, Whisper of Lies and invites you to “Immerse yourself in a tale, where you travel through years, geography, parents, elders, children and men.”

Click here to read the article.

An interview with author Cherry-Ann Carew on the ‘Guyana Today’ show

Cherry-Ann Carew is interviewed on the Guyana Today show in Guyana, South America, while promoting her novel, ‘Whisper of Lies.’

Click here to access video:

There’s a lot Involved in the Publishing Process Before and Beyond Submitting a Manuscript – Here’s how a Book Coach can Help you

For those of us who have already embarked into the publishing world, we know there’s a lot involved in the process before and beyond submitting a manuscript to an agent, or if self-publishing, uploading a Kindle to Amazon. Hiring a book coach can minimize much of the headache that comes with not knowing what, or how to handle book publishing.

As a novice, journeying through the writing process alone is daunting in itself, and when you have to make crucial decisions after the book is written, that, too, can be overwhelming and frustrating.

Thank goodness there are book coaches, aka book consultants, who can guide you through each phase of what can be a complicated process. And it is worth your while to take advantage of using a professional who can advise you about such things as, manuscript/synopsis editing, cover and query letters, book cover and interior design, distribution, marketing and much more. Book coaches will assemble, or refer you to appropriate resources for each task and work with you through the design, production, and distribution.

A good book coach should first assist you with defining your publishing success so that she can help you achieve your goal—whether your aim is to get high sales ranking on Amazon.com, use your book to boost your business, gain speaking engagements, or as a means to gain a traditional publishing contract.

With the rise of self-publication, many self-publishers are not aware that by self-publishing it is a business– their business–and as such should prepare a business plan. There’s so much industry jargon that if you are not in the know, your eyes will spin in your head. A book coach can weed out the fluff and guide you to bring you up to par with the ins and outs of self-publishing.

Whichever it is, formulating a comprehensive plan that aligns with your definition of success is of the utmost importance. Publishing, overall, is not a straight-forward business. You can spend years learning about it, or you can enlist the help of someone who’s been there and who can hold your hand throughout the process.

Collaborating with a reputable book coach increases your chances for publishing success, rather than disappointment. So, you may not make the bestsellers list, but you will place yourself in a more marketable position and make sales. Plus, you will avoid going round the merry go round, and further, eliminate a lot of aggravation. Not having a handle on how the system works can also be costly if you have to back track and start all over again.

Write It, Work It, Publish it!

© 2011 Cherry-Ann Carew

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, NEWSLETTER, MAGAZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, but ensure you include this complete resource box:

Cherry-Ann Carew, aka The Power Writing Coach, Editor, Founder of Writetastic Solutions and best-selling author, helps fiction and non-fiction writers with their creative expression to add value to their books. Learn how her coaching and editing services can help you with your book at www.writetasticsolutions.com.

 

How To Be Assertive Without Alienating Yourself

Asking for what you want—and setting boundaries around what you don’t want—is a key life skill. But sometimes in our enthusiasm to practice this skill, we over-do our own assertiveness and end up shutting down by getting frustrated and, or, giving up.

Here are 3 tips for developing your assertiveness in a way that will strengthen, deepen and enrich your mind set—thus avoiding the “alienation trap”:

Get Clarity

Being assertive starts with knowing what you are—and aren’t—willing to be, do, or have. For many of us, coming to this knowledge is a task unto itself. Here, it may be useful to ask: “What would I like to happen,” or “What would I like to accomplish?” Of course, this question is dependent on what project you are focused on at the time. For me, it was gaining as much international exposure as possible for my books before and after publication. Thus, I had to speak up and speak out. Focusing on an ideal outcome for whatever purpose opens our minds, prevents us from falling into passivity or ‘victim-thinking,’ and helps us get clear on what we want and don’t want.

Share, Share And Share

Once you know what outcome you need (or want), share it with others. It’s a step-by-step, repeatable process that you must execute to get results. With practice, you can actually sense when you’re hitting the mark. It can feel pleasurable to express your needs or desires out loud to build and maintain connection. You can build your assertiveness the same way you build any muscle, for instance, exercise. Practice speaking about your needs, whether big, or small, on a daily basis. When you speak up, you get used to your assertiveness. Soon, it becomes easier to implement. Furthermore, when bigger issues come along, you will have a healthy process in place for dealing with differences in needs and greater confidence to recover from setbacks.

Give as Much as you get

It’s much harder to do most things alone — especially marketing and promoting a book. Simply sticking it out there and hoping people will buy won’t cut it. But I digress… others will be assertive in their efforts too, so return the courtesy when they reach out. It’s really exhilarating when you see your collaborative efforts paying off.

Write It, Work It, Publish it!

© 2011 Cherry-Ann Carew

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, NEWSLETTER, MAGAZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, but ensure you include this complete resource box:

Cherry-Ann Carew, The Power Writing Coach, Editor, and Founder of Writetastic Solutions, is co-author of the bestselling book, ‘How The Fierce Handle Fear, Secrets To Succeeding In Challenging Times,’ co-author of the ‘The Power Of 100 – 100 International Women Share Powerful Stories Of How To Stay Focused On Your Dreams,’ and author of ‘Whisper of Lies,’ a novel.  Cherry-Ann helps writers with their creative expression to add value to their books. Learn how her coaching and editing services can help you with your book. Subscribe for your FREE SPECIAL REPORT: Discover The 3 Simple Steps That Will Help You Start And Finish Your Book. Yes, you can have a finished draft fast!

3 Ps To Marketing Your Book – Part Three

In Part One and Part Two of the 3 Ps To Marketing Your Book, I talked about what functions I used to promote my recently launched book ‘Whisper of Lies.’ That was: Predetermine – understanding what your message/story is about and Prepare – Who will help you prepare? When will you prepare? And How will you prepare? This week’s newsletter will focus on the final step. That is, Promoting your book.

After you’ve worked on the first two segments, you thereafter need to determine which tactics are right for your promotion. With the array of options that are available, I suggest you select 3 aspects from your list at the outset. This could be anything from social mediums – Facebook, Myspace, Twitter etc. blogging, virtual book tour, video, audio, traditional mass media – radio and TV interviews, print media – magazine and newspapers, Internet radio, email newsletter, writing articles, workshop events, free teleseminars, workshops, tool kits, special reports,  word of mouth etc.

Let’s say social media is one of the choices (which I strongly suggest you choose as it has become an excellent source for connecting with people far and wide), focus on gaining attention by making connections to the run up of the book’s publication. Some call this creating a buzz. In so doing, by the time you launch your book, readers will be eager to purchase a copy.

Concentrate on being consistent in your marketing and promotional efforts. Promote every day even if it is a Tweet relative to your book. Little and often will lead to you not feeling overwhelmed. This is why it is so important to start as early as possible, even if you haven’t written a word.

Set things up in a systematic way to keep you on track by using one of the methods noted in Part 2 i.e. if you write long-hand use different colour pens, pencils or high-lighters to help you keep track. If Microsoft Word, Excel spreadsheet or PowerPoint, print it out and have it in full view to remind you to promote daily. Irrespective of whichever combination strategy you use, it will serve as a vehicle to gain visibility for you and your book.

Continuously promoting is a commitment. There’s no getting around it if you want your book to be successful. It’s a given. If you don’t keep up with promotion you will get lost in the crowd.

If you remember nothing else, remember this: implement your marketing and promotion strategies and you will sell books.

Write It, Work It, Publish it!

© 2011 Cherry-Ann Carew

WOULD YOU LIKE TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, NEWSLETTER, MAGAZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, but ensure you include this complete resource box:

Cherry-Ann Carew, The Power Writing Coach, Editor, and Founder of Writetastic Solutions, is co-author of the bestselling book, ‘How The Fierce Handle Fear, Secrets To Succeeding In Challenging Times,’ co-author of the ‘The Power Of 100 – 100 International Women Share Powerful Stories Of How To Stay Focused On Your Dreams,’ and author of ‘Whisper of Lies,’ a novel.  Cherry-Ann helps writers with their creative expression to add value to their books. Learn how her coaching and editing services can help you with your book. Subscribe for your FREE SPECIAL REPORT: Discover The 3 Simple Steps That Will Help You Start And Finish Your Book. Yes, you can have a finished draft fast!