Do you need a pro or can you DIY?

Published on September 18, 2015September 17, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell9 Comments

I’ve read good and bad about both.

But there must be a good way to DIY.

As a writer, unless we’ve hit the NYT Best Seller list on our first time at bat, we need an affordable good book cover.

So how can I do that?

One thing I do know, is the right tools are a must!

tools

Taking a hammer to my computer won’t help, sigh.

This article is packed with tips to help us look at our designs.

Not only will you find great tips to maximize your book cover, there are links, and specific specs to get you started.

So if, or when you’re ready to take the leap, be ready.

This sounds like it’s not for the faint of heart, but doable.

Check out this article Written by Rob Nightingale:

8 Self-Publishing Secrets For Designing An eBook Cover

This one is going in my research file.

What about you guys? Have any of you done your own book cover or have you hired a pro?

I’d love to hear your experience.

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Who do you click and read first?

Published on September 17, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell1 Comment

If you’re like me, there are a few writers I read first. Clicking on their emails is automatic.

Why? Because they’ve written something that will inspire and get my brain ticking in almost every post.

So they are my first clicks.

How did I find them? By following bread crumbs of links left by you guys!

Some days my writing suffers because I get so caught up in clicking and reading, but other days after reading a tip or go-get-um post I’m fired up.

This post over at Finally Writing: THE ONE THING THAT SETS GOOD COPY APART FROM THE COMPETITION

Love her tag: Turn heads wearing nothing but your words.

This post that got me fired up and thinking about my WIP.

I’d never really thought about my fiction writing as “Good Copy” but now my brain is churning.

Seems to me “Good Copy” is what engages the reader, no matter the format presented.

Jackie Johansen, points out in this post how important it is to humanize our words, our stories and connect with our readers on a very basic level.

Our writing is our product and if the reader doesn’t feel it, believe it or care, they will put your book back on the shelf or click delete.

Something to ponder.

I hope you’ll blog-hop over and get a little nugget to help you too.

Now get to writing something profound!

Are you sounding like the Little Engine?

Published on September 16, 2015September 15, 2015 by Jean M. Cogdell12 Comments

“I think I can, I think I can.”

That’s been my mantra for so long and yet I feel as though I’m writing in circles.

One of my WIP, the story that started it all, is going nowhere. I have so many starts, middles and endings, I can’t make heads or tails of it.

But this little vixen won’t leave my mind. So one day I’m gonna have to wrestle her to the page and get control of her story. Sigh.

Today I read an interesting article. If you know anything at all about me, you know I’m a techie. So this new program caught my eye.

A critic’s second thoughts on robo-writing by Chris Berdik

I use several programs for grammar, spelling, formatting, and reading aloud. But this one has a bit of a different take on editing. WriteLab. After selecting the free trial button, always a go to when trying a new program, I uploaded a selection of my aggravating WIP.

The results were very thought-provoking. For instance WriteLab pointed this out about a couple of words in one sentence.

Coherence

This is an unusual phrase. What relation does innocent have to rhyme? How familiar are readers with this relation? Will they be informed or confused by it? robot-36984_1280

In addition to Coherence, the program checks for Cohesion, Logic, concision, Emphasis, and Elegance.

I don’t any program, no matter how smart will ever replace the imagination and talent of the individual writer.

However, after running this program on a small section, my mind is spinning. Sometimes a fresh, unbiased, logical evaluation can get us unstuck. I think I’m ready to take a crack at this elusive story one more time. Wish me luck.

How about you? Are you struggling with a WIP?

Have you found something to help with that struggle?

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Do you know your key words?

Published on September 15, 2015February 26, 2016 by Jean M. Cogdell14 Comments

If not, time to discover which key words will work best for your book.

Still plodding along, I’m not sure when or if this book will ever see the light of day at Amazon. Sigh.

But still I type, I read, I learn and who knows one day maybe, just maybe.

So with that far off hope in mind, I collect useful information.

Such as, using the correct Key Words on Amazon. And knowing the difference between categories and Key Words.

If someone searches Amazon make sure your book is keyed properly so they can find it.

People use Amazon six to seven times more often than Google.

To be honest I’d never really thought much about key words and books. But after reading

How to Choose the Best Keywords When Publishing Fiction on Amazon by David Penny

I realize this is something I need to add to my to do list. Whenever I do finish my manuscript, I need to know which key words will help readers find my book.

You’ve made it this far so give me just two more seconds and hit Facebook and Twitter and share.
Thank you!
If you’re not already, I’d be much obliged if you would follow me @jeancogdell on Twitter or jean.cogdell on Facebook!