First Word

Many new writers need assistance and guidance on their books. A book coach is an ideal choice to help make your book idea a reality. Why would you invest in a book coach? Because you lose objectivity in your own work or you need guidance and expertise to produce a book worthy of publishing. What should you look for if you decide to seek assistance from a book coach? Expertise, knowledge and skills -- your book coach cannot be some academic person who has only taught literature. The biggest complaint I had about English professors is that they were in the business of teaching something they never actually did. How can you teach or understand a process you've never done? Nothing is more meaningful and educational than the real thing. A coach should have not only the education but most importantly the experience. He or she should have written his or her own books or scripts. He or she should understand the process, and because he or she has done the process, he or she should have r...

The publishing industry has been in rapid change for the last 10 years. With the advent of easier publishing methods and now the rise of eBooks, many authors (even famous ones) are bypassing the traditional publishing method that has become driven by big name celebrities and well-known authors to bother to give the new and emerging authors a shot. This is why companies like 3L Publishing have risen to open new doors and create opportunities for new authors to have a way to publish. So, what is a hybrid publisher? A hybrid publisher offers all of the services of a traditional publisher only authors pay to have their books published in exchange for higher royalties. Traditional publishers typically offer royalties that range from 10-12 percent. Here at 3L Publishing, we offer royalty rates that range from 35-70 percent. Additionally 3L Publishing selects roughly two to three titles a year to publish traditionally, which means we not only pay advances, but also we pay the entire freig...

Friday morning musings really translates to I don't know what to blog about today LOL. Usually when I don't know what to blather about on the blog, I just start writing and see what comes out of my mouth. Oh! Here is a good one: It doesn't matter ... what doesn't matter? Here is my list of things I don't think anyone should ever fuss about (aka who cares ... or reality check) and it goes like this: 1. How many millimeters from the text is from the gutter in a book. Yes, an author once fussed over that one! 2. Asking me to verify that I really did spend those 2 hours on a project that in reality would have taken most people three times that amount to do ... yet you're worried I really did spend a whopping 2 hours on it. This one falls under the category of "reality check". 3. Getting a bargain-basement quote on publishing services (you know it's a deal) and yet still asking, "Can I get another discount?" Or the other favorite: "W...

Writers show up with their manuscripts in hand and present something that is less than professional and wonder why no publisher will pick it up. Maybe they have a strong concept. Maybe the idea is marketable. Maybe the content is really great; but the publisher can't get past the hundreds of typos, grammar mistakes or unorganized prose to see the real brilliance in the work. So here are three really good reasons why you need an editor if you're seriously thinking about getting published or if you intend to self-publish. Grammar Police . The grammar police, as I like to refer to them, are the book reviewers. The grammar police will not consider how great your story is. They won't care about all of those well-developed characters. They won't care about the fantastic storytelling. They will tell the readers, "This book is loaded with mistakes. This book needs an editor and there are 20 mistakes in it." Driven to Distraction . The readers will not care that ...

Even clients who I have worked with for a long time sometimes don't understand the value of exposure. The question inevitably leads to, "But where are the sales?" Building a brand involves a lot of exposure. Exposure leads to awareness. Awareness leads to recognition. Recognition leads to sales. Have you ever heard someone say, "I know that name?" or "I think I've seen this before." When promoting your book, you build your platform by working on exposure. Did you know it takes at least 3-6 times before it will register with people what is your book? I recently gave away a bunch of California Girl Chronicles book to help gain exposure. I want as many books out in the marketplace as possible. In the beginning, you sometimes have to do the giveaways to spread the book around. My goal is to cement the brand. The sales will come later. If you fixate simply on sales you will prohibit opportunities to gain exposure. The more places and times people see t...