FACING SELF DOUBT

For the past couple of weeks, I feel like I've been standing in the eye of a hurricane; calm and clear-eyed while the world swirls around me. I have no reason for a sense of malaise. No illness. No drama. No lurking doom. With the exception of never-ending rain in Florida, it's actually been (metaphorically speaking) nothing but clear skies and beautiful sunsets.

Wonderful things are happening in regards to the book, such as being a featured author in both www.bookreadermagazine.com and www.bookworks.com (if you'd like to read the items, just type in my name and it should call up the articles).

A couple more weeks and we'll be at the Florida Writers Conference in Orlando and we'll find out if Begotten With Love moved further up in the standings. Even if it doesn't advance any further than it is right now, being a FINALIST in the Royal Palm Literary Awards is exciting and something to crow about.

I'm looking forward to the conference: excellent topics Thursday through Sunday, individual book signing Saturday morning, and awards dinner Saturday night. But I can't seem to allow myself to enjoy the possibility that I may have won . . . !

Which makes me wonder aloud: As writers, do we become so used to rejection slips that we do not know how to enjoy the dream of being a winner? Are we so used to hawking our wares at 99 cent sales or trumpeting free days that we forget all the years of work and dollars spent to offer a quality product for the reader? Do we begin to equate these pennies with our self worth? It's not only possible but probable . . . and fortunately, for most of us, a fleeting moment of self doubt.

Am I excited to be a FINALIST? You betcha! Do I think I will win? As with all the finalists, I have a chance. Will I win? I don't know. But until the day it's announced, I can dream.

I hope all of you will dream big as you finish your novel or shop it around. Work hard and reach for your goals. Set them high. Celebrate when you accomplish even a portion of what you've planned and as our GPS tells us when we take a wrong turn (if need be) -- recalculate.

Jo Ann V. Glim is a seasoned veteran of freelance writing and author of the book "Begotten With Love."  To learn more:

VISIT: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com
FOLLOW/Like: on Facebook or
AVAILABLE ON: Amazon.com/author/joannglim
BOOK TRAILER on YouTube

Indie Authors Are Here to Stay

There were 391,000 self published titles introduced into the marketplace in 2012 according to Bowker's Self Publishing Report: 2012 by Laura Dawson (reported in November 2013). That's an impressive increase of fifty-nine percent compared to new titles in 2011.

For a newbie writer/author this news may be staggering. How do you get noticed in a pool of literally thousands?  It's not done through karma, crystals, or a friend of a friend who knows this guy . . . The most successful authors I know have a business plan and author's platform in place.

Business Plan
It's important to set goals and budgets for everyday living. The same is true for publishing a book. The following suggestions may help you organize and focus your thoughts and needs:

• Set a realistic budget: 1) everyday expenses; 2) publishing and; 3) publicity. 
• Choose a support team of professionals to assist you in presenting the best product possible. 
• Continue to educate yourself to keep fresh on new trends and equipment. 
• Network with like-minded, goal oriented, positive individuals. 

Author's Platform
Publishers, agents, and readers want to know who you are and what your book is all about. Practice a 30-second encapsulation of the story that can be voiced in any given situation. Difficult to do if you don't first know who you are and more importantly who your audience is. My suggestions are to:

• Select the top two niches in which your book will draw the most attention.
• Identify those audiences according to age and interests. 
• Build you publicity and marketing around those findings  
• Study the competition: What do you have in common? What sets you apart? 

The good news is, indie authors are here to stay. The market place supports their work. Readers vote for favorite authors and titles with their kindles and androids. Recommendations spread in nano-seconds through social media. With forethought and planning, a new author may gain confidence in presentations and develop a loyal following.

Jo Ann V. Glim is a 40-year veteran of freelance writing and author of "Begotten: With Love"  available in print and soon to be available in eBook format. To learn more . . .
visit: www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com
LIKE on FaceBook.com/JVGlim.author
Follow on Twitter.com/JVGlim_author

Quality Counts!

I patiently listened as a few newly-published Indie Authors bragged about finishing their books in less than ninety days. Many of these enthusiastic newbies encouraged the small pod of listeners gathered 'round by saying, '...if I can do it, so can you!'  Some in the crowd were smitten with the idea, fortunately, most were not.

This encounter made me realize that a look at the practical side of producing a book and the repercussions of rushing to print might make for a helpful blog.

COMPETITION and MARKET

• Over 700,000 self-published authors are in the market place today. It's a large enough contingent to make the New York six and other established publishing houses sit up and take notice.
• In a piece written by blogger @Marianaela Camacho Alfaro for @GoodReader.com (Nov 23, 2013) 41% of adults and 27% of teens identify themselves as regular @eBook readers.  This number is continuing to grow.
• According to Amazon.Com (Nov. 2013 Newsletter) eBook prices for bestsellers continue to drop.

Never has the future looked brighter for Indie Authors nor more cluttered with self-inflicted literary wounds.  The point of this article is not to discourage anyone from writing, quite the contrary.  We all have a story to tell and from the looks of it, we have an interested audience, one that has enthusiastically embraced us for the past few years.  However, there are rumblings from readers who are becoming wary of Indie Authors and Self-Published books because of the quality of the product.

If we are going to earn a reputation for excellence, then we must make a commitment to the reader, ourselves, and our fellow writers to raise the standard of the work we produce. If we don't, we will all go down in history as a footnote of a publishing experiment that failed.  As the saying goes, you only have one chance to make a good impression.

WE CAN MAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY COUNT IF WE:

• Produce our best work and remind ourselves; speed is not a priority, quality is.
• Take the time and spend the money to have our work professionally designed and edited.
• Sign up for classes to familiarize ourselves with the tools available to authors.
• Distribute Author Review Copies and ask for critiques from those who can offer an objective, professional point of view.  If there is a negative, common thread noted, correct it before publishing.  
• Reach out to authors who are successfully published and ask them to mentor.
• Join a writer's workshop for the feedback and friendship.

For those of you who are successfully self-published, what advice would you add to this list?  ________________________________________________________

Writing is a tedious process, a solitary calling so when you receive good news?  CELEBRATE!

Jo Ann V. Glim is a 40-year veteran of freelance writing and author of BEGOTTEN: With Love.  You're invited to visit www.BEGOTTENtheBook.com, and come LIKE/FOLLOW us on Facebook.com/JVGlim.author