Introducing K. L. Kranes as our next Author Takeover Participant...

K.L. Kranes lives in the Washington, DC metro area with her husband, daughter and dog. When not writing fiction, K.L. is a freelance editor.  

Our next author to be introduced for our Author TakeOver...Jenny Hawes

Jennifer L. Hawes lives with her family in Hannibal, Missouri, Mark Twain's boyhood town located along the Mississippi River. When she's not writing, she can be found running or photographing her world. Her teenage son, a free runner, was the inspiration behind this novel.

Self-Publishing: Why It’s Often Treated with Suspicion

 Have you fallen asleep or put a book down because you found it boring? The story wasn’t moving fast enough; the characters seemed flat—not people, just cut-outs; you were left wondering where did this character come from? First, you put it down as poor editing—you’re right. That’s only half of it—it’s really poor writing. The editor was “trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”, so to speak. That doesn’t happen often. More than likely, it was a self-published book that was not properly edited.

It is not my intention to damn self-publishing. Far from it—it is the only sure way for an author to get a work into print. It is cheap and fast and, with a little work, it can be as good as any work published by “the Big Six”. The operative phase here is “with a little work”. This goes beyond an attractive cover and a nice picture of the author. This means having, usually paying, a professional editor to work over your writing. This editor must look at and beyond grammatical and spelling errors (those should have been caught by the author). This editor will analyze the story arc, character development and make sure everything is brought to a final, believable conclusion. A final note—a spouse, a parent or other relative rarely makes a good final editor. This editor should not be biased by relationship or friendship.

Be a Guest Blogger here

So, you want to guest post on Nickum’s Nook?

First: Thanks for thinking of Nickum’s Nook as a place to share your writing with the world. Glad you’re here!

Second: Follow the guidelines below, and I’ll be happy to consider your guest post!

Guidelines for Pitching a Guest Post

Note: If you don’t follow some semblance of these guidelines when pitching your post, I may or may not respond. I probably won’t, because I get a lot of Spam emails and they make it difficult to weed out the reals from the bots.

Pitch me by email at mjnickum@hotmail.com with the subject line-“Post for Nickum’s Nook”, so I don’t miss it and I’ll write you back. Your pitch should include:

1. An intro. Tell me who you are, if you run a writing site or blog, and if you’ve been published anywhere (I don’t mind if you haven’t been published; I just want to know a little about you as a writer).
2. An attached Word document of the post you’d like to pitch (please limit your post to 1,000 words or fewer); OR a topic for your pitch and a few of your anticipated copy points.
3. A 100-word (or less) bio about yourself. Include your social media links, if you have them
4. Art is good, but unless it’s yours (i.e.: your latest book cover), it needs to have a Creative Commons License and proper photographer attribution.

What Happens if Your Guest Post Is Accepted

If your guest post is accepted, I’ll write you back and tell you:

1. When it’ll be published (Nickum’s Nook posts Guest Posts on Fridays).
2. Whether any major edits need to be made (such as: swapping your art out for other art, etc.).
3. The day before your post is published, I’ll email you and tell you that it’s been scheduled, and remind you to cross-promote the post on your social media channels (as I’ll promote on mine).
4. Your post will appear Nickum’s Nook social media mix from time to time as a repeat promotion.

What is a synopsis?

 A synopsis is an outline of the plot of a book that is 2-5 pages with from 500-1250 words. If your synopsis is 25-30 pages long, the agent or editor might lose interest after the first 5, so be succinct. You don’t want your reader to fall asleep.

When you write a synopsis, first start with your pitch summary from the blurb on the back of your book cover. After the pitch summary, then write the full synopsis using a paragraph for each plot point and tell the ending.

Pointers for your synopsis:

1. Keep your language clear and active, and focus on telling the story. As your plot unfolds, write it the way you would tell about a movie to a friend, skip the dull parts and hit the main highlights.
2. Start at the first scene in the book with the main character: “From the moment she woke on that chilly February morning, Savannah Smith knew without a doubt that she would divorce her husband.”
3. Show the beginning, middle, and end with main character conflicts and resolutions. Don’t get bogged down in details. Stick to a few main characters – perhaps the protagonist and antagonist and make their core conflicts and their emotional ups and downs, with their twists and turns.
4. When you introduce a new character, give a quick character sketch: “Burly Jones is a 36-year-old workaholic whose biggest joys in life are horseshoes, women, and his motorcycle, not necessarily in that order.”
5. Include, perhaps, one piece of dialogue between the protagonist and the antagonist to give evidence of the tone of the story.

Book Promotion Checklist

1. A short book description

There are a handful of reasons you’ll need a short, compelling book description (one or two sentences at most): as a soundbite in interviews, as a teaser on your website, as the hook in your press materials and communications with folks in the publishing industry, and maybe even as the tagline in your email signature!

2. A longer book description

Once you’ve hooked ‘em with the sound-bite, they’ll want to read more. Give them another paragraph or two to really sell the book. But don’t get long-winded or you risk losing their interest.

3. Your author bio

So, what’s your story? It’s time to tell the world — in the 3rd person. 2 – 4 paragraphs should be plenty if you tell your story well. If not… well, 2-4 paragraphs might be painful.

4. Web content

Start putting together all the web content you’ll need well in advance of your release.

This includes some of the things mentioned above (bio and book descriptions), but also blog posts announcing the book launch, behind-the-scenes content that gives your readers a glimpse into your writing process for the book, any study-guides or accompanying material that you’ve envisioned for readers, your book trailer, links to retail sites where your book and eBook can be purchased, etc.

5. A good author photo  

In fact, try to get a few good shots. A headshot, a casual shot, one with lots of space or landscape that you can use as a wide header image for Facebook and/or your website.

6. Hi-resolution .jpg of your book cover 

Ask your designer for a hi-resolution .jpg file of your book cover. You’ll need to both display it and make it available to download on your website (for any bloggers, media folks, or book critics who write about your book).

7. Banners/ads

While you’re talking to your designer, and while your book design is fresh in their mind, ask them to put together any banners, headers, or print ads you think you’ll need in the first 3 months after your book is released. You’re going to be very busy at that point, and you don’t want to have to wait for your designer’s schedule to clear up when you’re in the thick of things.

8. Business cards

They’re old-fashioned. But if you attend writers conferences, they’ll come in handy. We’re talking about writers, after all.

9. Signage 

If you plan on doing signings, readings, or getting a booth at a book fair, you’ll want to invest in some eye-catching, portable signage. It could be a pull-up banner (for big shows) or as simple as an 8×11 laminated sign, but make sure you’ve ordered it long before the event.

10. Press materials

Your press materials (press kit, press release, etc.) will be comprised of some of the things already mentioned: bio, description of the book, plus some of the story behind the book and author, contact info, any standout praise you may’ve already garnered from the press, etc.

When you’re gathering all these elements together into a press kit or press release, keep asking yourself these questions: “Why should anyone care about my story and book, and have I clearly communicated that here?”

11. Book trailer

Book trailers are important. In a world where YouTube is becoming one of the most-used search engines, it sure helps to have some video content available. Plus, book trailers are great content for your own website, for other bloggers, and to mention in your press release. Besides, it gives the impression that you’re really in tune with the times.