R. L. Stedman

Writer

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How to Serve Your Readers (and sell more books!)

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Rights, Publishing and Marketing Your Books

writer's notebook

I’ve just been interviewed for Otago Access Radio’s Write On Show, hosted by the awesome Vanda Symon. We were talking about how to get your book published, how to self-publish and (briefly) how to market your books.

Time always seems to fly when I’m talking to Vanda and some things we just couldn’t fit into half an hour. So in the next few blog posts, I’ll touch on some of the things we discussed in the interview, as well as some of the things we didn’t have time to cover.

This is the first post in a series of three on selling your rights and marketing your books, and includes downloadable resources and a slideshare (yep, I went all out!). Check these extras out at the link here.

(If you don’t want to read all this, you can also listen to the interview via podcast. )

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How to Sell Your Books.

1. Write the best work you can.
Whether it’s a cookbook, an anthology of poems, a novel. It doesn’t matter; just make it the best.

2. Know your goals.
Are you writing for income? To inform people? For validation? Just for fun?

None of these goals are better than others, but they might help suggest the easiest way to get your books in front of readers. For example, if you’re wanting to write a hugely informative book with lots of photos, you might be better to approach a publisher. On the other hand, a non-illustrated novel is relatively simple to self-publish.

3. Understand the value of your work.

The value of your book, or “work” lies in “the rights”. This means the Intellectual Property Rights, generated automatically when you create an original work. Copyright is not just for print – it applies in whatever format the work is produced (audio, translation, video etc). If you live in New Zealand, you can find out more about copyright from the Intellectual Property Office . (If you live in a different country, you may have differing rules around copyright, so do check this for yourself.) In many countries, copyright lasts much longer than its creator – up to seventy years or so after your death.

So, because your work can generate income for a long time, you need to be wary when agreeing to offer other parties the right to generate income from it. I suggest the best way to view copyright is to see it as a major asset: like a car, or house. As an example: a cash asset, like money in the bank, of $50,000 returning interest at 3% pa will give you $1500 worth of revenue per year. If you think your books could conceivably earn you $1500 per year, you have a valuable asset!

Hopefully you wouldn’t give part of your house to someone you’d just met online. Now, the same applies when you’re talking about your rights!

There are an awful lot of publishing scams, but there are genuine operators too. If you are offered a contract with a publisher or an agent (or anyone else, like a distributor) and they’re wanting a share of your rights, check the entity offering you the contract is legitimate. Think of it like a prenup!

Here’s what I would do:

  1. A google search
  2. Check with Writer Beware 
  3. Query your local author organisation and/or other writers if they know this entity or person
  4. Two excellent blogs that provide more information are The Passive Voice blog  and Kristine Kathryn Rusch
  5. Consider how stable the entity is. Publishers go out of business all the time. Make sure if this happens your rights will be returned.
  6. If you’re not sure, get a lawyer to check the agreement.

If something doesn’t feel right, discuss your concerns with the offering entity. If you still have concerns, DO NOT sign. Remember, this is income for your kids and grandkids!

A side note: If you’re worried about how to manage these discussions, here’s an earlier blog post on the art of negotiation (this post includes a downloadable cheat sheet).

Recording with Vanda Symon
Recording with Vanda Symon

The next post will cover self-publishing, and the following will cover marketing. So stick with me, or, if this is all too much, just listen to the interview!

How to Make Your Teen a Lifetime Reader

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Make Your Teen a Life-Time Reader

It can be hard to find the right book for a teen. I know; I have two of them (teens, not books!).  There’s so much vying for a teen’s attention: Videos, TV on demand, gaming, social media. Mostly all at once.

 

teenager - school visit

The advantage of the right book, though, is that a) it doesn’t need batteries and b) teachers approve. And once you’ve found the right one you’re golden, because a teen will devour it, watch the movie, read the sequel, and wear the clothes. They’ll be quiet for hours, totally immersed in another world. Books may appear solitary, but teens use them to form communities. They’ll discuss their favourite books with on-line or real world friends; they form fandoms.

 5 (free) Resources:

  1. Your school librarian. A great school librarian is the best resource ever. If you home school or don’t have the best library, you can try Teen Librarian Toolbox, a website for teen librarians (that is, librarians for teens, not the other way around!) or My Best Friends are Books, curated by the Amazing Zac from Christchurch City Library.
  2. Goodreads, a social media site for readers. There are a lot of Young Adult (YA) pages, where readers can hang out with their peers.
  3. #bookstagram on instagram, twitter or tumblr. Just pop it into the search bar, and you’ll come up with a range of sites. Because many are curated by people under 25, you’ll generally find a whole bunch of book ideas and connect with a lot of passionate readers.
  4. Book blogs. I’m planning on doing a post on my favourite book bloggers later, but if you check out bookbub’s blog that’s a good start. Just pop “teen” into the search function on the right, and you’ll find a whole heap of suggestions.
  5. Poetry is a rich resource. Check out Slam Poetry on Youtube (also check out the comments on this link – teens are fabulous supporters of one another.)

The Importance of Books

I follow @westerosreader on Instagram. In one post he said he never was a great reader until his Aunt leant him the Maze Runner and … well, now he’s hooked! He now has over 16K followers and a great fan base.

So never, never, stop encouraging kids to read; the right book at the right time can change a teen’s life.

So you want to write fantasy? 3 reasons why there are no rules.

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No Rules, Just 3 Things to Consider

When you’re writing fantasy, there are only two rules. The first rule: don’t do what other people do. The second rule: There are no rules.

 

fairytale book
Image source

There are only three things to consider:

1. Tropes

Fantasy is truly one of the most awesome genres because there are literally are no limits. In a fantasy, characters can travel through time, they can change faces, they can live in a castle or a hut in the woods or somewhere at the end of the universe. Fantasy makes great story-architecture. So, if you’re writing fantasy, read the frigging genre. Think of the current YA tropes: Another bunch of teens fighting the system, falling in love and whoops, there goes another love triangle. Try and be innovative. Lord knows, there’s plenty of scope.

Read as many myths and legends as you can get your grubby paws on. Don’t just read Greco-roman; you’ll broaden your repertoire significantly if you spread your mythic wings to include Pacifica, Aztec, Native American, Chinese, Celtic storylines. Another great thing about fantasy? You can nick these myths (sorry, adapt) and you won’t have to worry about copyright. (Unless you start to infringe upon Disney. Don’t go there. Seriously.)

If you’re borrowing another culture’s story legacy, be respectful and understand the nuances of the story before you begin pulling it apart.

Because fantasy is often based on mythic lore, it’s easy to hit your stride and walk straight into another unoriginal tale of elves and dwarves, so it does pay to be aware of the traditions before you start. Once you’re aware of the traditions, of course, rule two applies. Because once you really start to break the rules, you’re able to create a seriously funny work. Shrek did this well, as did Enchanted. Terry Pratchett is probably the ultimate trope-user. Check out the disc-world series.

Image from wikipedia
Image from Wikipedia

2. World-building

Fantasy usually involves world building. This is the most complex and delightful part of writing fantasy and probably explains why some of the most successful fantasists (GRR Martin, Katharine Kerr) are Dungeon and Dragon fans.

When building a fantasy world, as JK Rowling says, you need to know the rules for that world. You may find yourself drawing maps and buildings, as Tolkien did, to help orientate yourself in your imaginary world.

Some writers like to plan the world in advance – maps, currencies, food, clothing, even (like Tolkien) complete languages. Others prefer to just write, and let the world develop around the character.

Either approach is okay – as I say, there are no rules – but if you’re developing the world as you go, you’ll probably need a proofreader to make sure you haven’t inadvertently contradicted your fictional world. (I just read an interesting post on Cornerfolds book blog about this very point, check it out if you’re interested in how readers feel about inaccuracies in books).

One tip: It makes it a little easier if you use reality as an anchor for your imagination. For example, in The SoulNecklace Stories, I based the Kingdom of the Rose on a real island (Anglesey, in North Wales). I did this partly because Anglesey’s Welsh name is Ynys Mon or Druid’s Island. I mean, how could I not use it!

I spent a lot of time looking at google maps and photos, and I visited Anglesey; this made it easier to describe everyday things like travel distances, directions, or the view from a window.

 

3. The M word.

Will you have magic in your world? Typically, fantasy does allow magic, although increasingly there’s a blur between technology and spells. The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss, explores the technology behind magic; China Mieville has a steam-punk world named Bas-Lag in Perdido Street Station; Helen Lowe looks at what happens when one world’s culture meets another in her brilliant Wall of Night series.

A true fantasy novel describes the intersection between the known and the unknown. Because sometimes what looks like magic is actually technology – and who knows? Perhaps the opposite is also true, and what looks like technology is actually magic.

Extras

A short note: I’ve speckled links liberally through this post. Some lead to Wikipedia entries; others lead to Amazon links, so you can read the beautiful books set out here. One link leads to an fantastic Lord of the Rings interactive map. Check this out!

Or don’t. Like I say, there are no rules…

3 Inspirational Podcast Interviews With Great Writers

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Inspirational Podcast Interviews

I have a confession: I listen to podcasts. Actually, I love podcasts.

writer's notebook

When I was a kid, we had no television in our house. Makes me sound as though I’m from the forties, but hey, no – this was the eighties! My brother and I raided the televisions of friends and relations. And we listened to the radio. A lot.

We had our favourite radio shows – Just a Minute (and yes, folks, this is still playing in the UK) and a narration of the entire Sherlock Holmes books. Perhaps that is why I enjoy podcasts just so much – they bring back the memories of sitting around the radio, just listening.

That’s enough reminiscing.

One of the main reasons I listen to podcasts is to follow famous authors; to see what drives them, how they write and why they write. Here’s the three best interviews I’ve found.

The 3 best interviews (so far).

Frederick Forsyth. (The Guardian Books Podcast, 23 Jan 2016) Remember The Day of The Jackel? Forsyth, a fluent speaker of French and German, was a reporter in Paris in the 60s. In those days the French reporters socialised with the President’s security detail (hey, this is France, and a different era). Forsyth, being a french-speaker, hung out with them. Seems like de Gaulle’s security team weren’t as close-mouthed as they could have been, because Forsyth pieced together a plot that might conceivably work. Later, when flat broke, he wrote this idea up as The Day of the Jackel. Listen to the interview. It’s amazing.

Marian Keyes. (BBC World Book Club, May 2015) Have you read Rachel’s Holiday, a bittersweet story of recovery from addiction? Turns out Keyes went through a similar experience to her heroine and drew upon this experience when writing the book. In this lovely interview Keyes discusses addiction, why she likes happy endings and what you need to do to be a writer.

Paulo Coelho. (Four Hour Work Week, 23 April 2016). Writer of The Alchemist, Coelho lives in Brazil. This is more a running commentary on the art of writing than an interview, but to a writer it’s absolutely fascinating. Coelho doesn’t write in a notebook. “Just live your life, and when you come to write, whatever is important will remain. What isn’t just falls away.” I found this interview incredibly liberating. “A book,” says Coelho, “is a connection between the writer and the world. It must be written with love.” (I think I’ve got that right. You’ll have to listen to the interview to be sure!)

 

fairytale book
Image source

 

What’s it Like to be a Writer?

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Or: My Exciting Day

writer's notebook
Notebook – Image from Pixabay

A writer’s life is nothing like the movies. The real-life writing life is far more mundane! Over the next few blog posts, I’ll be talking about my YA novel, A Skillful Warrior. I’ll describe a little of the backstory and some of the plot elements. I might even give you a hint (a very, very small hint) about what is to come in the final book of The SoulNecklace Stories.

But before I dive into the world of Will and Dana and all the other gorgeous characters that I love so much, I thought I’d give you a quick rundown of my fabulous, glamorous and fun-filled day:

7.30 Breakfast.

8:00 Spend 20 minutes hunting for the car keys, the cat, the kids and a pair of unladdered tights. [Confession time: I love working in an office. I get to dress up and wear nice clothes and talk to people ALL DAY and get PAID. No, the novelty does not wear off.] I currently work 3 days a week, and write for 2. This will change shortly, as I have a maternity leave contract coming up.

8:30 Start Work – if a work day. This means I send emails, web browse, answer phone calls and argue with people! Clients are generally extremely nice to me, as I hold the purse strings. It’s amazing how being in a purchasing role encourages good behaviour.

If a writing day – I write, frantically, for about 2 hours. I listen to Spotify – the hard rock track. It seems to be working at the moment, because my characters definitely do more when there’s loud music playing.

12:00 Lunch, listen to podcast and go for a walk. My favourite podcasts are (in no particular order):

  • StartUp by Gimlet Media. I love his story-telling skills
  • Hack the Entrepreneur. This is a nice, bite-sized look at self-employed life. If you’re looking at setting up your own business, I really recommend this podcast.
  • Amy Porterfield – Amy is a master of social media. She’s also very good at podcasting! This is a sales funnel for her, so if you’re thinking of listening, just be aware that she’s very very good at what she does.
  • Smart Passive Income – Pat Flynn’s been running this podcast for a couple of years now. He comes across as likeable and truly engaging. The thing I really, really like about his podcasts is he talks about serving his customers, which is something I totally relate to, as I feel very strongly about serving my readers. (Which is why I’m telling you what I listen to all day, because it might help you, too!). He interviews mostly online business people, but sometimes there are authors in there too, which mixes it up a bit.
  • Social Media Examiner – this is a massive podcast machine.I skim this one, because it’s really heavy-duty marketing which doesn’t rock my boat that much, but sometimes there’s interesting things to take away.
  • Self-publishing Formula – this is a newbie to the podcasting platforms, but very good. I recommend the free Facebook training, too.
  • Astonishing Legends – This is hilarious. AL is basically two guys jamming about the weird and wonderful. Think The Twilight Zone does Wikipedia. The production values are very good and the two presenters really know how to construct a story.
  • The BBC Book Club – this is a little staid, but hey, you get to listen to Marian Keyes and John Grisham.

12.30 Work (if at work). If not, I’ll do boring administrative tasks. This week its my tax return. *Groan* . Chat to people on FB and Twitter and answer emails. Explain that no, I did not write Light Between Oceans, but I wish I had. (And I wish I had a different name). Get sucked into social media…And read weird and wonderful stuff on the internet. It’s research, honestly!

3:00 Write some more. You can check out my progress on my website. I’m not doing quite as well as I want.

4:00 Take kids somewhere. Be a taxi-mum.

5:30 Begin cooking tea.

Sounds exotic, doesn’t it? I bet Hemingway never did all that. I bet he just drank wine and sat at coffee shops and fought bulls…

Everything you ever wanted to know about The Prankster and the Ghost

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(but were afraid to ask)

spooky stories
image source

Why did you decide to write this book?

My son was on holiday at a school camp. On on the first day, there were three accidents: a girl was caught in the doors of the bus, the same bus nearly ran over a girl’s arm and my son broke his wrist on the confidence course. ‘Mum,’ he said, when we were at the hospital, ‘it was like the camp was haunted!’

This got me wondering: what would a haunted school camp be like? I ended up writing a short story about this, and in this story was an old school house. The idea of a haunted schoolhouse stuck with me, so although I never used the first short story, I recycled it into Prankster.

Are any of the characters in Prankster based on real people?

Not really, although the inspector was strongly influenced by an old teacher of mine. In the olden days, when I was young, teachers were often scarey (unlike the lovely people they are today :)). So I suppose Prankster was a way of getting even with someone I used to find totally terrifying!

Why did you write that Jamie came from Scotland? Why couldn’t he come from another country?

There were three reasons why I chose Scotland. The first is because I live in Dunedin, which has a strong Scottish heritage. The second is because of a true story: my son was starting at a new school, and I went along with him for his first day. A boy in the class was really friendly, but unfortunately, neither of us could understand him, because his Scottish accent was so strong! The other kids had to translate for him! Which made me think about how isolating it can be to have no-one understand you. Parents move kids around the world – mostly without asking them first and this can be really hard on the kid, because they have to go to a new school, and perhaps no-one will understand you. I wanted to use these ideas in a story. The third and final reason for using Scotland was because of a (true) ghost story that a friend told me about Edinburgh Castle. You can read about it here.

Do you speak with a Scottish accent?

No! But my boss does (he’s from near Glasgow), so everything Jamie said I mentally imagined my boss saying first! I listened to Scottish podcasts and BBC radio too but they weren’t much use, because when the Scots really get going I find them almost impossible to understand!

Which part of writing Prankster did you find the hardest?

Chapter Twelve was definitely the hardest part to write. This is the scene in Jamie’s classroom. In this chapter the Ghosts start to write on the whiteboard, Milly vanishes into the iPad and Tayla realises that he can travel through the internet.  The reason I found this scene so hard was because it has about eight characters in it, and they’re all talking at once! I ended up breaking the scene into little pieces, and each piece only having two or three people talking at one time. So there would be Becky talking to Tayla, then Tayla arguing with Milly and then Jamie talking to Tayla. This kept it a bit simpler! Roald Dahl worked a bit like that in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I think, and now I know why. If you want to see what it’s like to read a scene with lots of people in it, try and write one, and you’ll see exactly what I mean!

How did you come up with all the practical jokes?

The internet! – google and youtube…