The LAST Word

      November is a time to remember. On Nov. 1, we remember the saints. On Nov. 2, we remember those who have gone before us. On Veterans Day, we remember those who serve our country and those served many years ago. We remember the wars that are represented by Veterans Day, which used to be Armistice Day and still is in Europe. That was the day World War I ended. On Thanksgiving, we remember to thank God for our blessings. We remember family, and we remember those who couldn't be part of our celebrations. Therefore, November is a perfect time to remember our writing and add remembrances in writing. Memoirs – Writing down events that took place in your life is called a memoir or autobiography. You can write these books to pass down your family for future generations to know what happened in your life and in the world when you were alive. You can write these books to pass on knowledge that you have that others do not. And, you can write them for yourself to remember the e

  Authors are sometimes afraid of video. They don't like being in front of the camera. They don't know what to say. They don't understand why it matters. They don't understand technology or simple actions relating to video. Despite these obstacles, authors should use video marketing for their books. Businesses also should use video marketing. Here are some reasons why. Building a Brand – You have to distinguish your book from so many others on the market. A good way to create a brand for your book is through video. You can hire video marketers or you could do it yourself with YouTube. When you create a YouTube channel and making it look like your books, you start to build your brand. While video is important, you also need to send press releases , use social media and do digital marketing to create a brand. Ranking Higher – YouTube videos rank higher than print content on Google. If you create a channel and post them to your Amazon author page and you

  I recently met with a potential book client. She asked me about query letters and what she needs to do to get published by a traditional publisher, such as Random House or Simon and Schuster, etc. I answered her honestly. Traditional publishers are difficult to reach. They are picky and get slammed with book proposals. They can't read all of them. Here are some tips for publishing. 1. Traditional Publishers -- They want best-selling authors, celebrities, great stories for fiction and a high market potential for nonfiction. They don't want memoirs, unknown authors and women's literature. These don't sell. Traditional publishers want books they know will sell because of how the book industry works. In retail, companies buy from manufacturers at wholesale and sell. They can't return the items to the manufacturer unless there are defects. In book industry, bookstores are allowed to buy at wholesale and send back whatever doesn't sell back to the publisher. So, l

  Many people like the colors of autumn. They enjoy the vivid reds, yellows and oranges. Some people also like the purple and black associated with Halloween. I am not one of those people. I don't like fall for two reasons. It means that we are at the end of the year, and the vivid colors means things are dying. I prefer the colors of spring: yellows, light purple, white, pink, light green, etc. They are the colors of new life. However, I do know that things have to die to produce new life. And, you should use this metaphor in your writing. Let it die to bring the work to life again. What do I mean? Continue reading. Characters – Sometimes, characters have to die even if you like them. To move the story and make it flow, you might have to kill a character. In my first novel, The 1776 Scroll of Secrets , no one was killed even the villain. However, in The 1776 Bed and Breakfast , the villains were killed, but I also killed Buck's (the main character) mother. She had

  When you look throughout history, you will see key events have changed how we do things forever. The Great Depression changed the banking system. The landing on the moon changed the impossible to the possible. It also created a number of products that we still use today. The attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon changed how we go through airport security around the world. The explosion of the Challenger Shuttle reminded us that we are vulnerable and must double-check and triple-check our processes before doing. This pandemic is changing how we associate with others and how we market our books . Here are some tips . 1. Video – Now, more than ever before, you need to use video to market your books. You can create a YouTube show or a book trailer. For my cookbook client, The Dressing Table , we created a cooking show where she cooks a recipe in her book at home and posts on YouTube. It is starting to get noticed. If you have a way to link video with your book, you should

  I often from people that they want to write a book, but most of them never will publish anything. They aren't committed to creating a book. They think that some day, they might get something together. To author a book, you have to be committed to the project with your heart and soul. You have to be willing to follow through on the steps: idea, outline, research, compiling, book cover design, editing and marketing. Often, people are overwhelmed and think writing a book is daunting. It doesn't have to be that hard. Break up the project in to smaller pieces to make it less overwhelming. This is exactly what teachers tell their students who feel overwhelmed. The same is true with writing. Idea – Whether you want to write about ministry or persecution , think about your idea. Brainstorm how you can fertilize the idea. Write down the key points you want to make and determine whether your idea has merit. Pray about it.  Write about it in a journal . Eventually, you will se

  I used to attend career days when my children were in middle school. They wanted me to talk about careers in writing. It never failed that the children thought writers made a lot of money. Some do. J.K. Rowling, Tom Clancy, James Patterson and others have made so much money they are set for life. Others make enough to live comfortably. However, most authors struggle and don't go into writing for the paycheck. For me, I became a journalist because I wanted to tell people the information they needed to know. That was true when I was an environmental editor , state government reporter or other editor. It is still true today even though I write for clients. I am still giving people information they need to know. I still offer ways to help my clients market through my writing and editing. Patience Is a Virtue Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction , you need patience. Success doesn't happen immediately, except for a few. You have so much competition. You have to keep