Carolyn Howard-Johnson

We haven't had a Featured Author in a while, but I'm excited to say that is about to change. In November, we'll have Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the HOW TO DO IT FRUGALLY series.

Carolyn will be answering all of your editing, promoting, branding, and marketing questions that writers everywhere struggle with daily.

While its very exciting to have Carolyn here as she guide us through the hazy world of promotions, that's not all. She's bearing gifts! I won't give away what they are, but I will tell you that there are three of them! One of the gifts/offers has TWO invaluable free gifts with the purchase of either of her HowToDoItFrugally.com Series of books for writers from Amazon, and the other gift is absolutely free, just for the asking.

I will tell you that I have her first book, The FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't, and I consider it to be my bible of all things promotion. I live by it. I tell Carolyn it is like the spaghetti sauce commerical, if you need to know something about promoting your book, "its in there."

I will not even hesitate buying the second one, THE FRUGAL EDITOR: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success. Carolyn does her homework so I don't have to. I love it!

So put on your thinking caps, line up those questions, and get ready to be blown away with the amount of knowledge coming your way beginning November 1. If you'd like to learn more about Carolyn and how to purchase either book, visit http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/

I'll vouch for Carolyn's abilities as well. I have her book THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER and I used it to create my own marketing plan for my last book. I also used it to help develop an overall promotion strategy. I'll be sitting in the front row, come November.

Awww, Vicki, sweet of you to chime in. And I'll be looking forward to talking to you again.

Best,
Carolyn
www.howtodoitfrugally.com

Carolyn is an amazingly productive writer. It's great that you are featuring her.

Lynn

I'm excited to introduce Carolyn to you. She is the ultimate book promoter. And her take on editing is that it's part of your marketing package--an essential part of the package you present when you send out a cover or query letter, as an example. I've already learned many tid-bits. I can't wait to register for some of the newsletters she recommends, apply some of her tips to my editing processes. Here she is!

Carolyn, whenever you can, just jump right in, gal!

Wow! Tomorrow's the big day! OK, well, there are no date cops so if you want to start tonight, I won't waterboard you. Did I say that? (-:
Thank you for having me, Dots and Georgia. I know we're all really busy so, if you boomers don't have question on book promotion, editing, formatting, publishing or anyting else to do with the publishing world, I'll post an article or two to get things started.
Mmmmmm. Maybe that will keep you from asking questions. OK. I'll do it anyway. At some point. But let's do questions before.
BTW, it is GREAT to be back. I know many of you from when I was here before and my occasional posts between. I ran into some of you at conferences, etc. A really great group. I really am grateful to share with you and learn from you, too.
Best,
Carolyn
www.howtodoitfrugally.com
PS: When I chat, I don't edit. All the better for getting lots of posts in, don't you think? I won't expect great editing from you, either. So don't let that editing thing scare, you, OK?

Ooops. I forgot to tell you about the other things I thought about doing with you (besides the articles!) Here it is!

I am pleased that Dotsie and Georgia asked me to join all of you on this forum. I wanted to do something special for you and we decided that the writers among you might like one of the handouts I give for some of the classes at UCLA. All you need to do is e-mail me with "Boomer Forum--Freebie" in the subject line and I'll send one to you by attachment.

Here's another offer, too. When you purchase either of my HowToDoItFrugally.com Series of books for writers from Amazon I'll send you two different media kits to use as templates for your own campaign. One is for a book (or books) and the other is for the your speaking campaign. (You WILL be doing that won't you? It's the number one best way to make yourself known as an author.(-: ) So, all you do is send me a copy of the receipt Amazon sends you in an e-mail with "Media Kit Offer" in the subject line. And Voila! They're yours. (-:

As you can tell, one of my reasons for writing these HowToDoItFrugally books is to help authors avoid the potholes I stepped into when I started promoting my first novel.


I'm not going to tell you much more about me. You can snoof out more information on my website (www.howtodoitfrugally.com) of course, but this forum is about you, about ways I can make your writing life work better for you. So, let's start. (-:

My best to you all.
Carolyn

Hi Carolyn, Can you tell us what's the number one editing problem writers have and how we can avoid it?

Vicki, the number one problem we writers have is with something most of us don't consider as important as our manuscripts. It's our query letters. They're the first thing agents, contest judges, producers, editors, etc. see and they might not even get to your poem or manuscript or your idea for a TV series if your query is off.

The number one mistake it query letters. It's nothing to do with grammar (and lots of the things in The Frugal Editor don't have anything to do with grammar). It's telling agents that you always wanted to write. It's just a big yawn and you only have one page to entice them.

How do I know that? Agents told me. I interviewed hundreds and quoted twenty. (BTW, they're listed in the appendices).

What a great start that is Vicki! Thank you!

So, you can all now see that I even approach editing as a marketing device (sometimes!). LOL.

I am just so happy to be here. I'll check back tonight.

Best,
Carolyn

Lynn, thank you for the good words. Did you all know that Lynn has contests and publishes book reviews. Now THAT's good information to have. Lynn, if you haven't already, can you tell us how writers can benefit from your site and vice versa?
Best,
Carolyn

Hi Carolyn. I tried to email you and take advantage of your offer for one of the handouts you give out at UCLA. I don't have Outlook and when I tried to configure, it asked for my password, which I was uncomfortable inputting. Is there another way to contact you other than what I'm doing at this moment?

Carolyn, what's your opinion on book trailers for promotion?

Here's something on Promoting on Amazon to get the conversation started. (-:

Use Amazon to Build Loyalty to YOUR Business, YOUR Book, to YOU

I rarely talk sales when I can talk about more important things like cross promotion and branding."

Still, I thought I'd I'd like to talk to you about how Amazon may be used to Improve Your Amazon Ratings. That, of course, is tantamount to improving your sales but you benefit in other ways, too.

A drop in the promotion-bucket that Amazon offers you, can move those Amazon ratings drastically! Here are some ways to do that:

1. Use Listmanias on Amazon and, along with your own book, sprinkle in the titles of your author-friends. If you're a reader, do your favorite authors and your fellow offers and bukld a Lismania to share what you like in reading. After your Listmania appears, let authors and your fellow readers know you just posted a Listmania. That's a way to make a new promotion friend and keep an old one.. There is a chapter in THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER that tells you how to use this free promotional perk along with a lot of other free tools on Amazon.

2. When you read a book by an author you know (or even one you don't) do yourself and them a favor by adding a review to Amazon. It takes but a minute and YOU and your book get exposed too, if you use a promotion-savvy signature.

3. Tell other people about the books you've just read in your Amazon plog. Another name for this plog/blog is AuthorConnect ™. You're reading one right now. You do have one don't you? You should, even if you aren't an author. It's a great way to let friends know what you want for your birthday! Ask your friends to pass on the word about your plog/blog. This is known as viral marketing and it works.

4. Wanna know more about making Amazon part of your community? Check out Janet Elaine Smith's PROMOPAKS, Fran Silverman's BOOK MARKETING FROM A TO Z. and my THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER. We all love Amazon.

5. Check out my audio classes at www.tri-studio.com. Click on the button on the right for Audio Classes. Notice we offer a FREE one called A Do-It-Yourself Guide To Promoting Easy And Cheap! That freebie offers other Amazon tips. You can find more marketing, writing and tech tips at http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/search.asp.

6. If you're an author, flesh out your book's page on Amazon. If you're a reader, add tags to the books you've read and enjoy the book pages where the author has taken care of their readers by adding more information to their pages. Use the Wiki to add info on awards, other publishing you've done or what you might know about a particular book or author (judiciously, of course! (-:. Add pictures. Have some fun.

7. If you have a book suited for it, you can even add pictures to your book's page. Check out my "Promote or Perish" picture on The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't page. Readers can put pictures here, too!

8. Don't get caught up in sales to the detriment of exposure on Amazon and other online stores. The Amazon publicity is invaluable.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Author
THE FRUGAL BOOK PROMOTER:
HOW TO DO WHAT YOUR PUBLISHER WON'T,
Winner USA Book News' "Best Professional Book 2004"
#1 Bestselling E-book at: http://starpublish.com/starbooks.htm

Carolyn- After doing a ton of research on marketing (including your book) and platform building, I created a blog and a myspace page. I use the tags whenever and wherever I can. How important is a typical website? And for a starving artist, is there a webmaster you can recommend. When I've looked into it I got discouraged because it seems you need to know "computer talk" to create a page. To begin with, I would like to have a page with "about the author" with links to my other writings, links to information on creating your own family history, and an exerpt from my book...things like that. Any suggestions?

Karen

Karen, if you are a member of the NABBW, www.nabbw.com, we offer 20% off Web design. Just thought I'd let you know.

Karen, all my websites use pre-loaded software templates -- no coding necessary. Both Freewebs and Tripod offer free websites with templates.

You don't need to know much of anything to create those sites.

Karen asked me:

"How important is a typical website? And for a starving artist, is there a webmaster you can recommend. When I've looked into it I got discouraged because it seems you need to know "computer talk" to create a page. To begin with, I would like to have a page with "about the author" with links to my other writings, links to information on creating your own family history, and an exerpt from my book...things like that. Any suggestions?"
----
I finally gave up on a webmaster and am now doing my own webiste. For a whole slew of reasons. I find FrontPage is quite user friendly and a friend helped me get started. I think I'd rather pay someone for a get-started lesson though (you know Frugal me!) than suffer with a slow or poor webmaster, and how do you know? References, I guess. Dotsie seems to have a good one (-: .

Also, I'm finding my blogs are getting more hits than my website so that might be an alternative. I now have three and they are user-friendly to install. I do strong suggest you use blogspot.com. For too many reasons to reiterate. You don't want a whole book. Ha! And, yes you could do something like the simple idea you outlined very easily.

Best,
Carolyn

The only thing with doing your own site is that I'm not sure you can tag words and get picked up by major search engines. Does anyone know the answer to that?

Dotise, you use metatags for that. I also think (though I don't do it) that you can use some of those services like Delicious, etc. But it still has a drawback when compared to blogs. It isn't as interactive. And it's all about connecting, isn't it. I mean, look at this great forum. Guestbooks just don't cut it next to blog comments. (-:
Best,
Carolyn

Anyone want to talk fiction? I did a great seminar on writing dialogue at the Las Vegas Writers' Conference a couple of years ago. Or so the audience told me. Ha! And much of that subject fits with The Frugal Editor.
Best,
Carolyn

Oh yes, Carolyn I'd appreciate any advice you have on fiction. By the way your advice on Amazon promotion is invaluable. I saved it. Thank you so much.

Let's see, Hannelore:
Do you know Christine Hohlbaum. She is also an expat living in Deutschland!
Glad you liked the Amazon stuff. There is more detail in the Frugal Book Promoter. How to make what you do work--focus on the angles and target your efforts.
Now, about fiction. Let's start with italics. They are being way over used for internal thought. You will find fine authors using it but if you do and you're a first time author, it will limit you. Most agents HATE it when writers use it. If you take classes at the best writing university's you'll find that it's a no-no. So why risk it?
Because it makes writing internal though easier. In fact, it often becomes a crutch. I advise against it in my class unless you can verbalize a very good reason for using it. And, yes, I know this is controversial. Many writers have a vested interest in my being wrong becasue they have books out there in which they have used it.

And that's one reason I list it here. For the dialogue. For the controversy. (-:

If anybody has an example, I might be able to show you how to get around using it by using other--more widely accepted--techniques. (-: And yes, there's a section on this in the Frugal Editor. You'll have to excuse me but you'll see that it's hard to rewrite a chapter. (-:

Best,
Carolyn

No, don't know Christine. Is she a known author?
Okay here is an example out of my book where I used italics. I used them to show a thought, because I wanted to avoid writing, "she thought".

Why doesn’t she come in? Melanie busily stirred her coffee. She quickly glanced over to the other two personnel counselors.

Christine is great! She has a newsletter, Powerful Families, Powerful Lives which I love and you can visit her respective sites at:

http://www.DiaryofaMother.com
http://diaryofamother.blogs.com

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, American author of Diary of a Mother: Parenting Stories and Other Stuff (2003) and SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe (2005), has been published in hundreds of publications. When she isn’t writing, leading intensive seminars or wiping up messes, she prefers to frolic in the Bavarian countryside near Munich where she lives with her husband and two children.

Somebody just shoot me, I used italics....teehee.

Thanks for the info. JJ. Gee, I live near Muenich too. Will check out her site.
Got an extra bullit?...I used italics too.

Well, maybe Ms C won't notice...shhhh...be vareee vareee quiettttt....

Hannalore: Your example (we're discussing using utalics for internal thought, here) :

Why doesn’t she come in? Melanie busily stirred her coffee. She quickly glanced over to the other two personnel counselors.

So, I'm assuming that this whole chapter of scene is in the viewpoint of Malanie, right? And you do a very smart thing. You put the name Melanie right after the internal though of "Why doesn't she come in." So, your reader know on two counts whose head you are in and that this is internal thought.
1. You're doing the scene or chapter from Melanie's viewpoint anyway.
2. The very next sentence in that same paragraph shows what Melanie is doing and tells us that it is Melanie doing it.

So, your reader knows that it is Melanie's internal thought. You don't need to slam her or him (the reader) with it by putting saying "she though" which you already sensed. But you also don't kneed to put it in italics for the reader to know. Trust me, she does. And she knows its not an outloud comment because there are no quotation marks. She won't have to think about this. She is a reader. She just knows. And you, as a writer are in partnership with your reader, so you need to trust her a bit more.

Additional note: Showing what a character is doing while she is thinking or speaking is very good technique for helping a reader to know where she is. It also helps with the setting and often characterization as well. Beginners often don't know to use this technique.

Now, just to clarify. You CAN use italics for internal though. The question is, do you need to. I heard of one person who used italics when it was the internal thought of a robot and it was often inerspresed with an unspoken exchange of thoughts with a human. The robot's thought-dialogue was in italics. That seems like a really legitimate use of them.

In This Is the Place, I used italics to show when the protagonist was writing in her journal. I would never do that again. I would just transition to the journal better. The readers would have known if I'd transitions from real life to life of the written word better. That was eight years ago and one of the reasons I wrote The Frugal Editor. So that others could avoid learning things the hard way. I was a journalist and publicist. What did I know about fiction techniques when I started creative writing. With apologies to journalists everwhere, not much. (-:

So, What do you think? Are you all going to shoot punctuation marks at me for being such a spoil sport? Now, what about italics used for other reasons. When do we use them, when not? Hint: Most of us use them way too often.

Oh, PS. Yes, Christine Hohlbaum is getting quite well known. She's bee on NPR radio several times and has her own PR firm as well.

Best,
C.

Best,
Carolyn

Thanks so much Carolyn for your long answer. Now I have another reason to go through my manuscript again.
( I just had to clamp my fingers down not to italicize “another” and “again” in the above sentence. Wow…this is hard.)

I know. Really hard habits to break. And sometimes we then return to using quotation marks. Try not to do that! Quotation marks are for dialogue, irony and sarcasm. Things that the reader might not get without them. They are not for emphasis, slang (we all know slang, right? Unless we're new English speakers!). I think it all boils down to that trust thing, don't you?
Glad I could be of help.
Best,

Carolyn, one of the most common editing mistakes I get from writers submitting work to Dotsie is the space after a sentence ending. Industries standards changed a few years ago and although it is an ongoing battle among the teachers and professors, the standard remains ONE space before you begin the next sentence. I'm not referring to LINE spacing, but the space you put at the end of a sentence before you begin the next sentence.

Care to comment on that? Do you see a lot of this? I know I do.

Georgia, yes, these are really formatting problems and many writers don't think that's part of their business. Obviously, it is. The reason that the double space at the end of the sentence changed is that there is something called kerning. It used to be done by the linotype operators who set the type and double spaces helped the letters look nicer on the page. Now computers do that for us. It's really tough for those of us who learned to type...mmmmm, a thousand years ago, to adjust to. You can use the find feature in your Word program to replace all double spaces with single ones. The step by step directions are in the Frugal Editor, for those who aren't tech savvy and don't know Find from Replace from...you know what. (-:

To help formatting, we should also remove the space at the end of paragraphs. It's only natural that writers would type one in 'cause the end of the paragraph is almost 100% of the time, the end of a sentence.

Maybe you can use that Find trick when you're editing your submissions. I know you have a copy of TFE, so you can look it up in the index I slaved over. BTW, anyone have any indexing questions?

Oh, and PS: May I use your comment/question for my brand new editing-focused blog. I mean it is new. The first post isn't even up but you can check it out at www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com. I think it will be useful to authors. Sort of an ongoing Q&A tutorial on editing. (-:

Best,

Yes, by all means use it. We don't edit other people's work. I spend some extra time emailing them back giving an explanation about the sentence ending simply because I know that most writers aren't aware of it. BUT...if we are extremely busy, we have no choice except to reject their work. Its a shame, too.

Carolyn,
In thinking more about this, I'm wondering if you, as a professor, and a writer, find that people will submit sloppy work to you? In other words, maybe their essay, manuscript or whatever, hasn't even been edited, contains misspelled words, and errors. Do you see a lot of this with submissions?

If so, how do you handle it?

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Two-part question. I just thought of something else I wanted to ask. Do you also find that some writers are under the impression that once they get a publisher, they can wash their hands of any marketing efforts? That they really do believe they don't play a part in the marketing?

Thanks!

Three parts now....Oh where oh where forth art thou?

I've been thinking about the indexing. A lot of beginning writers aren't sure exactly what you're referring to here, would you mind giving a little bit of info on indexing? Its purpose, where they can learn more about it, your words of advice? Many thanks!

I know. As people get busier, they can't baby people along. It happens with promotion, too. If someone sends me a query and don't include the information (you know, an autosignature that doesn't even take any additional work), I might move on to the next so I don't have to ask, wait, ask again. On the other hand, one of the things I do when facilitating writers workshops is have them write with absolutely no intent to edit. Get the juices flowing. The creativity. Then go back to the editing part. (-:

Best,

Let's see. Part #1.
One of the agents I interviewed for The Frugal Editor was adorable. She said that she doesn't toss a query if there are errors in it, that it is her job to find great work, great potential. I tend to agree. Having said that, the busier agents (or anyone else) gets, the harder it is to be patient--and helpful. So, yes I try. And, sometimes, no I don't.

The other thing is that if an editor/teacher/publicist/whatever has been given the authority to intervene, that is one thing. But I rarely give advice unasked for. I'd like to. I'd like to be helpful. But I don't. Some just don't take it very well. (-;

Part II, oh, I have to go back and read it again. My old brain isn't what it used to be.

C.

Two-part question. I just thought of something else I wanted to ask. Do you also find that some writers are under the impression that once they get a publisher, they can wash their hands of any marketing efforts?
----
Heck yes. It's possible that an author can make it without marketing. It used to happen once in a while. I can't think of a time it's happened recently. For one thing, they predicted 180,000 books with ISBNs would be published last year. It hit something like 280,000. I don't care who your publisher is, you'd better get out there and help them. BTW, I'm finding Amazon a big help in promoting my books these days. I'm not quite sure what the instigator is, but I keep getting letters from people who got notices about my book from Amazon. They always use some kind of interest-connection, but they're doing it. So, don't ignore Amazon is your marketing efforts.

Best, C.

Everyone. Look in the back of your books. Your texts. Your nonfiction books. That's the index. And indexing is growing because of the attitude (that attitude scares me by the way) that only the truth has any value. So people use indexes to find information, to find resources, etc. AND, even books like historical romances are beginning to use them (or adaptations of them) because people want to know what was based on fact and what is fiction. So, this is not a subject that pertains only to nonfcition writers. And maybe that's the reason that some of our forum visits were wondering. Fiction writers--in the past--didn't have to worry about them. The Frugal Editor addresses indexing, give resources for handling indexing yourself or hiring it done by a professional. BTW, libaries are really BIG on indexes. If you want libraries to love you book--especially nonfiction--you'd better not skimp on the index.

Best,
c.

You send the work back just because of a double space at the end of a sentence, JJ? Well then...that could explain why my queries aren't even being read...maybe? I am disapointed that something technical is more important then what is written. I bet some great written works are missed because of that.

Hannelore, sometimes we do, sometimes we don't...when you have clear guidelines, and when you have over 100 entires to judge, you have to give first due to the ones that made the effort to be error free.

I NEVER send anything back without an explanation. If they chose to RESEND (and they are given that option), then we gladly accept them again. WE TELL EVERYONE that we don't want them to miss out. Give us a little credit....we're a pretty good outfit, me thinks.

I never got an explanation for my returned queries. I think it’s great that you do that JJ and the fact that the author can resend the corrected material is generous.
I’m just speaking from my own experiences.

Ohhhhh...I thought you meant you had never received a response from us! LoL!

Hannalore, I doubt that anyone would ignore work because of double spaces. Still, it is best if we really all edit and format and learn craft as if our little careers depended on it. We can always find a few gatekeepers who are patient and understanding. But the one big thing your after? You do something that most of us DO on occasion(like a dangline pariticple) and it may cause a harried editor to roll his eyes and drop your piece in the round file. Think of all the writers out there. Think of all the submissions. I don't like to think this can happen, but it can. You should have heard the responses from my editors. One said she gets handwritten manuscripts--often. We all know that no agent will take the time to read one of those--not unless they spot a fantastic foice in maybe the first sentence. Not if the query letter isn't superb. I mean, as good as the writing may be, there are other good (even great!) writers out there. So....we're all in this bucket together. That's what I'm here for, to try to help a little. (-:

Best,

Carolyn, if you had to take the most important TOP FIVE LESSONS from your new book, what would they be? I know, of course, you can only give us a condensed answer, but that would be great, and it would also tell others a bit about your new book. Can do?

Oh, JJ, I love to condense.
How about SEVEN? These are seven myths that surround editing and brief answers:

• Agents are a cantankerous lot. (Nope! In The Frugal Editor twenty of the nation's best tell you their pet peeves and they do it in the best of spirits.)
• If your English teacher told you something is OK, it is. (No! Language rules have changed since you were a Sophomore.)
• If a manuscript or query is grammar-perfect, you'll be fine. (No! Lots of things that are absolutely grammatically correct will annoy publishers.)
• Always use your Spell and Grammar Checker. (No! Some suggest you don't use it at all but The Frugal Editor will help you make it your partner instead of your enemy.)
• It's easy to avoid agent and editor scams. Just ask around. (The Frugal Editor gives you a complete list to help you avoid being taken.)
• Your publisher will assign a top-flight editor. (Maybe, but don't count on it. Besides you can be a better partner for an editor if you know something about the process.)
• Formatters and editors will take care of the hyphens, ellipses and all the other grungy little punctuation marks that English teachers avoided teaching because they didn't know how to use them either. (Chances are, you'll catch even great formatters and editors in an error or two if you know your stuff!)

Are you home, Georgia. I leave on Friday. I hope the forum lets me in while I'm gone. I'll be using a ship's computer. (-: I love that it's letting me come back now without signing in every time. (-:

Love,
C.

Here's what I love about Carolyn's books, the Frugal Book Promoter and The Furgal Editors.

You will underline, highlight and dog ear like a fool while reading them. They are extremely practical, loaded with great information.

While reading The Frugal Editor, I recalled all the things I had not yet done from her first book. I need to go back and follow thorugh on some more of her ideas. Funny thing, while it's for books, I also have used it for my Web sites!

Hiring a good editor is so important before submitting a query or proposal. I'll never forget the first time I worked with an editor - now I wing it for the site- sorry ladies, but anyway...

She was a magazine editor and boy was she good. I was expecting her to correct punctuation, maybe a little sentence structure and that was about it. What she did was amazing. She truly rewrote lots of the information which gave it better form and style. She made me look like I knew what I was doing. So why wouldn't we want that before submitting queries or proposals?

At first my ego was a littel wounded, but then I realized she was the expert. I write, she edits...and there's a huge difference.

A great book to read about editing is Stephen King's book On Writing. It is over the top. I especially loved how he shared his original thoughts/writing and then showed all the edits before he got the writing the way he wanted it for publication, or at least before he handed it to his editor. It's not the writing that makes your piece incredible, it's the re-writing.

Wow, Carolyn...great myth-busters! I love them. And Dotsie, great point about the Frugal series being capable of answering questions and guiding us through the writing of Web sites, magazine articles, and other things...not just books.

Carolyn, call me crazy, but wouldn't these myths be a great hand out for writing classes?

You will more than likely have to "log" back in when you are on vacation if you are using another ISP address to come here. I would tape the name showing, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, and your password to the bottom of your laptop...just a suggestion.

And not to worry if you can't get in. Everybody needs a break. If you have trouble you can email me, or Dotsie, or wait until you get home. We SO appreciate all of this info at our fingertips!

Dots, I love Stephen King's On Writing, too. In fact I got one of the dialogue editing tricks I mention in The Frugal Editor from him (and credit him, of course!). That is: When you are writing dialogue and the character is asking a question you don't need BOTH the question mark at the end of the sentence AND "he asked" as a tagline.

See what I mean about so many little things marking you as a professional...or not? How can we know everything when we start? How can we ever even consider not continuing that learning process? I try to read at least one book on writing a month. Sometimes I learn little. But I always learn something! (-:
Love that editor of yours, too. She was like my first newspaper editor. I thought she was an ogre but, boy, did I learn from her! (-:

Love,
C.

How did you get so smart, little Queen J. J.

Yes, that quiz is part of a PRIMER I developed as a handout for a seminar/panel I did at the West Hollywood Book Fair. You know, FRUGAL me. I believe in recycling (remember that chapter in The Frugal Book Promoter about recycling your work? (-: ). Anyone who wants the whole thing may e-mail me with PRIMER FROM DOTSIES BWS FORUM in the subject line and I'll send it. It has other pages, of course.

Good idea about taking the info with me. Duhhhhh.

And I promise to try to get back online at least every other day. And we'll still have a week when I get back.

AND, thank you for your sweet words.

Love,
C.

Me? Smart? And nobody in here jumped on that? mahahahah...ahem...ahem. I just wish I was going on vacation with ya'll. I fit nicely into a suitcase. Okay, big fat lie. I fit nicely in the back seat and don't eat much. Another lie. Oka----nevermind. Have a good time and we'll hold the fort down and leave a light on for ya.

I'm sticking you in my suitcase as we speak. Miss GJaw (related to hee haw!) and you fit just fine. Want to share my new things for authors with you. Dotsie mentioned I should. I worried that you'd think I was trying to SELL you something. I declined. Then I figured that for 49c, even if I WERE trying to sell something, you'd forgive me. Anyone out there about ready to to try to sell (oooohhhh, that word! Guess we all have to do it sometime!) their book? If so, this will save you time and money--excepting for the 49cents. It's brand new. You'll see. I picked this up from my newsletter:


So, this is it. My new Amazon Short. Didn't they do a great job of the cover? Uriah Carr took the photo.

Note that the reason I did this as a short is that there are lots of other books on writing proposals out there. The thing is, writers generally hate to write proposals. They don't even much want to learn about writing them. So, why a whole book when you can do it in 20 minutes or less? The introduction to the short will give you the whole story behind the writing of it and in the body of this mini book you'll have the makings of a Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need to Sell Your Book in Twenty Minutes or Less. for only 49 cents. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000YG6O5U/

I kid you not. It's more frugal than a pen or a can of soup. In a way, it's my gift to you.

Let me know how this process goes. This is, after all, a sneak peak, a sneak purchase! And you'll have what you need to not only get an agent or a publisher but also to plan your next book and get a handle on its future. Guess the cover won't take for you to see it but you can use the link to see it. (The photo is by Uriah Carr, a photographer friend of mine.) (-:

So, talk to you all soon.

Best,
C.

I just bought it Ms C....you're right, I love the photo. What a deal for .49 cents. Even I can afford that one! Wuhoo...Now I'm off to read it. Have a grand time!

I'm ordering it too. Sounds very amazing and easy. Looking forward to hearing your knowledge here.

Dianne, welcome to the conversation. And thanks to both your and G for gorgeious JawJaw.

I have to tell you all that I love you. No one would go through what I went through to get back on this forum fomr somewhere in that death triangle in the Caribbean! There must be some truth to the myth--at least as far as passwords go!
So, I see no more question but we can sure talk book proposals next time I get back on, if you want. And, of course the editing for those said proposals.

Editing still being my favorite topic these days. That doesn't mean I have forgotten about projotion. I did mention that editing is a huge part of your marketing effort, didn't I? Ahem!

Oh, BTW, Dianne, love those shoes!! And envious of them, too. I went to flats long ago.

Best,
Carolyn

Hi Carolyn and welcome.
I'm not a writer, not really anything.
My question is, why is this, http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/ ,
and your blogspot link not in your signature?

That question didn't come off sounding rude, did it?

Not at all, Gimster, whatcha doing here? (-: Maybe you're a closet writer. Ha!

The reason that address is not on anything recent is because that whole blog concept has been replaced on Blogspot by www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com. It is a book fair-focused blogs, one that helps authors who are participating in any of the fairs Authors' Coalition sponsors (whether as a signing author or only in the promtions associated with our booths) to connect. A record if you will. We make it public as a service so other writers can learn from it. So, if that blog interested you, go to the blogspot one instead. (-:

I will be rworking the entire Authors' Coalition site (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com) this December and one of the things I'll do is take that blog down. Thank you for reminding me. (-;

Best,
Carolyn

Everyone:
Back again. Had a wonderful trip. Thank you call for being patient. (-: So, do you want to discuss book fairs 'cause Gimster got us started on them in the post above?

Best,
Carolyn

Saundra reminded me in a private mail that you all need my e-mail address to request the freebie handout I use for one of my UCLA classes. Duhhh.... It is: HoJoNews@aol.com. Be sure to be very clear it is a Boomer request in the subject line. (-:

Best,

Carolyn, why not discuss the book fairs? Please do elaborate! While I have found book signings to be somewhat of a hit and miss, book fairs seem to be well attended and can brings lots of rewards. What is your opinion?

First of all, Hi to Marilyn who ways she has been lurking.

To answer your question, J. J. Yes, book fairs can be extremely valuable. Authors' Coalition (the group I founded) sponsors several across the nation. The reason I founded it was based on experiences with book fairs. I found, like everything else, that book fairs work if you work them. I also do a blog explaining just what AC (Authors Coalition--www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com) does with their booths. It is www.authorscoalition.blogspot.com. There is also a chapter on how to make books fairs successful in The Frugal Book Promoter. I know many of you have that and can just refer to it but anyone else is welcome to e-mail me and I'll copy the chapter to you. My e-mail is HoJoNews@aol.com.

In my opinion one of the best things you can do to propel traffic to your booth at a book fair is to finagle a speaking spot with the fair planners. Short of that, give away something (another book?) with the purchase of your book, as an example. Media releases that you'll be there. And invitations!!! And get whoever you know locally to send invitations, too.

If you don't do these things or pair with an organization (or other authors) to do them, you won't find them super successful in terms of sales or anything else. i. e. I am lukewarm on anything, including book fairs, that you don't promote like crazy.

BTW, anyone interested in the details on the coming LATimes/UCLA Festival of Books details (how to participate even if you can't be in LA) contact me. HoJoNews@aol.com.
This fair draws more than 135,000 people in two days and those people include movie people like producers, screenwrtiers, etc. I GIVE quite a few of my novels away to likely prospects at that fair.

Any questions? What have YOUR experiences been. Let's name a few fairs that were good. Oh! BTW, on my website you will find a whole list of bookfairs for you to consider. Click on the Resources for Writers page. Then click on the book fair list. www.howtodoitfrugally.com.

Love, C.

Hi back to Carolyn from Meredith-not-Marilyn

The LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books is great to attend, even if you don't exhibit. So many events, lectures, readings etc. going on over two days. My critique group's parent organization, California Writers' Club, has a booth there every year.

Meredith--sorry for the mistake. It may not be one, though. The Marilyn who said she was lurking is from Fresno--or Sacramento, I think. But then I really could be confused. Maybe California does that to us. Ha!

Thank you for the good word on the LA Fair. I belong to the the San Gabriel CWC and think they're a great group. Authors could easily sign with the CWC and still utilize the assoiciated programs that Authors' Coalition offers. We're not at all propietary. Rule #1 in PR. There is enough in this big, wonderful universe to go around.

Will I see you at the fair?

Best,
Carolyn

Hotel California, version 2

Carolyn, when I emailed you and requested your free handout, I mentioned that I had been lurking in this author forum but hadn't posted anything yet. You wrote back and said, Marilyn, why don't you stop by the forum and say hello?

So you have two lurkers? Better than stalkers, at least

I belong to the Orange County chapter of CWC. Whether I go to this year's UCLA Book Fair depends on whether it's the same dates as the annual convention for California Federation of Chaparral Poets, held this year in Ontario. Unfortunately, CFCP's website hasn't been updated in 8 months so it's hard to say.

Who's on first?

Carolyn, I would like for you to address the issue of people who self-publish and then want a traditional publisher to pick the book up, AFTERWARDS.

I think everyone knows the pros and cons of traditional vs self-publishing, but what I'm referring to is the difficulty in getting this to happen, AND how MOST traditional publishers expect before they would even consider this...can do?

Maybe I don't have two lurkers. But I hardly consider you a lurker. I appreciate your participation. (-: Maybe that's what confused me.

I hope to hear from you if you decide to do the LA Times Fair. Please feel free to contact me at hojonews@aol.com. Anytime at all. (-:

Best,
Carolyn

Yes, people always hear the wonderful tales abot how someone self-publishes and their book does so well that a traditional, big and sought-after publisher decides to take it on. This is very rare for many reasons. Not the least of which is that, if a self-pubbed book has been that successful, a good chunk of sales have already been made and the new publisher would lose that potential. It is more likely an author's next book would be picked up after a hugely successful self-pubbed or subsidy-pubbed effort. Heck, it's even hard to get a distributor to take on a book after another distributor has had it.

In one of my chapters in The Frugal Editor I quote an agent who says he just hates it when an author queires him saying something like "I self-pubbed xxxxtitle, but I didn't promote it. I'm now looking for a publisher." His comment was something like, "Oh, great. You didn't think enough of the book you self-pubbed to promote it so now you want someone else to do it for you."

After all, agents want to sell authors who will be active in their own success (meaning they know or are willing to learn to promote!). And so do publishers!

That's one of the major reasons I wrote The Frugal Book Promoter. It is self-published. Trust me, I'm not going to get rich on it. It's for my fellow authors. And that's the truth.

Good question my Mis JJ.

Love,
C.

Dear Boomer Women Writers:
Our month has come to an end. That does not mean that our relationship must do so. I shall pop in occasionally and I want you to feel free to contact me. You can always reach me at hojonews@aol.com. Be aware, though, that I get a huge number of e-mails each day so put something like "BOOMER" in the subject line. Avoid using subject that a spammer might use to catch one's attentions. Of course, that is advice that will work well for you across the board.

You'll also find me at my website, www.howtodoitfrugally.com.

And, I've become a huge blogger. LOVE it.
Find me at:

www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com, a general blog on all things writing

www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com, a blog that generally will use a question and answer format for editing and formatting questions

www.authorscoaltion.blogspot.com, a blog that will help you get the most out of book fairs

www.warpeacetolerance.blogspot.com, a brand new blog on subjects that I explore in my writing. It also will include support for our troops. My grandson just left for his second sting in Iraq!!!

www.thenewbookreview.blogspot.com, a blog where you can extend the life of your favorite review. The guidelines for submitting are in the column on the left.

So, call on me for consulting, editing, to sign up for my newsletter or just to chat. Feel free to contribute your resources to my newsletter, too. We're all in this together. Gotta keep learning from one another. (-:

Best,
Carolyn

Thank you Carolyn for joining us this month, and for the loads of information. I'm thoroughly enjoying your new book as well. You're a jewel!

Thanks, JJ.
Just couldn't stay away. Do you all know about John Kremer's new networking site. Bookmarket.ning. I think you can find it with just that. Love it!!

Carolyn

Carolyn, I've been trying to click your website link here http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com./ for several days but have gotten a mostly white page that says "This website is temporarily unavailable, please try again later."

Ms M---take the period off after the word "com"

http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com

oh duh

Thanks Queen

I think it is working now, Meredith. If not, try it without the wwww. I know most of your will get tons of new stuff from the Resources for Writers. It isn't just other books to read; it's lists, etc. And, yes, take that period off the end. (-: Darn periods. Ahem.
Best,
Carolyn

You can tell I just missed you. (-:
Carolyn

I just came back to see if anyone is still around. Hope you are all well. Thank you again for your support!

Best, Carolyn

What timing! I sent you an email 10 minutes ago