Do you know the hard truth about self-publishing?

Published on August 9, 2017August 6, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell6 Comments

This article, By Rebecca M. Lyles, is a must read for all writers.

Like Ms. Lyles, I’m an introvert. I break out in a cold sweat at the thought of hawking my book.

But I think it’s important to know what a writer faces when going the self-publishing route. Better prepared than caught blindsided.

So brace yourselves. Read…

Five Self-Pub Truths (I wish I’d known)By Rebecca M. Lyles

What did you think?

Any surprises?

Have you already gone down this path? If so share with me your experience in self-publishing.

I love reading your comments.

Please head over and “like” my Facebook page at Facebook at jeanswriting . Or to connect with me, click the “write me” tab. Don’t forget you can follow me on StumbleUpon, on Twitter @jeancogdell , and Amazon.com.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

What novel are you reading right now?

Published on July 28, 2017July 28, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell28 Comments

Or just finished reading?

Or just loaded on your Kindle, or bought at the bookstore?

It’s Summer and time to read. I love nothing better than curling up with a good book reading late into the night by the glow of my Kindle.

I’d love to know what you’re reading. Share with us what you’ve been curled up with, or your most recent favorite finds. No review necessary. Unless the book is terrible, a heads up will be appreciated. But the book title and author will do just fine.

I’ll go first. Finished three books this past week, I give all of them 4 stars. (I went on a wild reading binge.) Best Eaten Cold by Tony Salter, and Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay 4 stars, and The Circle by Dave Eggers.

Loaded on my Kindle, for this week is Watching You by JA Schneider.

Best Eaten Cold: The terrifyingly believable new psychological thriller from Tony Salter by [Salter, Tony] Disappearance at Devil's Rock: A Novel by [Tremblay, Paul] The Circle by [Eggers, Dave] Watching You: A Police/Psychological thriller with a mind-bending twist (Detective Kerri Blasco Book 3) by [Schneider, J.A.]

Wait, don’t want to end without mentioning a book on writing.

I’m always reading, re-reading or consulting one. The most recent reference book added to my arsenal is Writing the Natural Way by Gabriele Lusser Rico. This book was originally published in 1983, but a 15th edition was released in 2000. Unfortunately, it’s not available in e-book, but I scored a copy of the original edition at my local Half-priced Book Store so you might want to check one near you. This is a terrific book for writers. There is a wealth of information between the pages, and before you read that last page, you’ll be inspired to tackle your WIP with fresh eyes. I’ve enjoyed my copy so much I’m considering getting the revised edition too.

Ready set go. Your turn.

What are you reading?

What’s on your Kindle? Or on your bookshelf?

Talk to me, I love reading your comments.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

Learn how to make your Amazon description stand out

Published on July 17, 2017July 14, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

It’s important for a book description to grab the reader.

So make your text stand out using bold or italics wording.

Even if you’re not familiar with HTML, I’ve found a blog post that makes the process easy to understand. All you need to do is open and close the text with codes for Bold <b> or italics <i>.

Check out this quick tutorial and see if it helps you.

Quick How-To: add bold and italic text to your Amazon book description

Now go and update that book blurb.

Did it work?

Do you think we need to use special formatting for our descriptions?

Talk to me, I love your comments.

Please stop by and say “hey!” I’ll leave a light on.

Are you confident, do you know what to say?

Published on June 16, 2017June 15, 2017 by Jean M. Cogdell4 Comments

Do you find it difficult to emerge from your writing world?

Confession time. sometimes I’m as tongue-tied as a teenager on her first date. I don’t have a clue what I should say.

Hello, my name is Jean and I’m an introvert.

More times than not, I prefer to stay home and talk to my imaginary friends. Meeting strangers leave me as tongue-tied as a teenager on her first date. I don’t have a clue what to say. And it seems that with each passing year, I find it more and more difficult.

And Lordy, don’t get me started on promoting my books. I’m a nervous wreck when it comes to that. I rather sit at my computer writing than convince people to buy something I’ve written.

So, just how does an introvert such as myself, have meaningful conversations with strangers?

Prepare.

Prepare for a meet and greet as if we were preparing to write. Because for people like me, networking is hard.

Here is a great article on conversation starters.

10 Handy Conversation Starters for Introverted Writers by LISA ROWAN

Here’s what I gleaned from Ms. Rowan’s article.

Memorize that elevator pitch. (yuck) But, don’t start off with the pitch.
Remember your manners. Show interest in the other person and listen. Most times, they’ll lead you right into the “pitch.”
Smile, no one wants to talk to a “resting bitch face.”
Break the ice with questions about the event.
Don’t make the entire conversation a sales pitch. (see #2)
Memorize some basic questions so you won’t be tongue-tied. Ms. Rowan gives a good list of icebreakers.