Author Mistakes with L. Diane Wolfe, Ninja News, A to Z Challenge Needs Minions, and CassaStorm Cover Reveal!

Today I welcome author and professional speaker, L. Diane Wolfe! Her new book, How to Publish and Promote Your Book Now has some great tips in it for both unpublished writers and seasoned authors. If you haven’t picked it up, you need to!

Common Writer/Author Mistakes

I’ve been involved in the publishing industry for almost ten years now and given my publishing and promoting seminars for almost six years. I’ve seen many writers and authors make mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. But, I’d like to keep YOU from making mistakes.

I have to get an agent!
No, you don’t! If you are aiming at the Big Five or one of the top mid-sized publishers, you need an agent. But there are tens of thousands of publishers who accept direct submissions without an agent. Remember, getting an agent is only part of the process, and 9 out of 10 agented manuscripts never find a home.

Rushing a book
“I just finished writing my book - it will be out next month.”
WHAT?!
You’ll miss many key steps that way - professional editing, sending review copies, early promotions, cover and interior design, etc. Once you finish writing your book, allow 4-12 months before public consumption.

No editor
The reason self-publishing has such a bad rap is poor editing. Don’t be part of the problem! If you are self-publishing your work, you MUST hire a professional book editor. It is YOUR reputation on the line. If you skip this step, it will show.

Review bribing
We’ve all seen what happens when an author pays for reviews. But there are other ways to make payments, such as giving five star reviews to other authors in exchange for similar reviews on your book. (Or threatening to turn them into one star reviews if not reciprocated.) Don’t do it. (Or fall for it.)

Double booking blog tour dates
Guest posts are a win-win - the host wins when the guest brings his or her followers to the site and the guest wins with exposure to the host’s followers. When you double-book, that dilutes your followers and shortchanges the hosts. Only one major stop each day.

Comment counts
There are many ways to respond to blog comments. Look carefully at potential hosts and your own. Responding to individual comments with a comment is often viewed as “Padding the Comments.” Thus, a site that appears to have 50 comments might really only have 20-25 unique comments. Responding to comments via email or in batches with one comment is better

Please, avoid the pitfalls. Your book is your dream - give it the best chance!

Find Diane - Blog, Website, Twitter, and Facebook
Find her book - Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Amazon Kindle, and Powell’s
$14.95 Trade paperback ISBN 978-0-9827139-5-2
$4.99 Ebook ISBN 978-0-9827139-9-0

Ninja News

Thanks to everyone who participated in this month’s Insecure Writer’s Support Group! So many touching and inspiring posts – you guys amaze me. BIG thanks to my co-hosts, Stephen Tremp and Julie Flanders. The group is over three hundred strong now, and despite my best efforts on Wednesday, I only visited half that number. So I really appreciate my co-hosts for helping me make everyone feel welcome.

March 14 is the National Wormhole Day Blogfest! Hosted by Stephen Tremp, Laura Eno, and LG Smith. What would you do or where would you go if you could traverse a wormhole through space or time just once?

And… Julie Flanders’ book, Polar Nights, is available now! Congratulations, Julie.

A to Z Challenge is Looking for Minions!!

The thirteen hosts of the Challenge are looking for helpers. Some need help before the Challenge, some during, and some both. For full details and to volunteer, got to the A to Z Blog.

I’ve already asked (or rather called dibs on) Elise Fallson and JL Campbell to help me.

But I need three more people to assist during the Challenge. (It involves visiting approximately twenty blogs during the month – easy!) So if you would like to be a Ninja Minion, just say so in the comments!

CassaStorm Cover Reveal!

The cover for my third book, CassaStorm, is supposed to be ready by the end of next week and I am stoked to see it!

I’d mentioned doing a cover reveal earlier and many of you said you’d like to help. February 22 will be the reveal date, so if you can post it that day for me, I’d be grateful and humbled. Sign up below and I will send you the cover image on February 21. Thanks for everyone’s support – you guys ROCK!

And knowing I’ll get to see the cover soon (and that I have awesome friends who are also excited) definitely fits VikLit’s “Celebrate the Small Things!”






Ever made any of those author mistakes or have questions for Diane? Did you find support and inspiration in this week’s IWSG posts? Ready for Wormhole Day? And how would you like to be an A to Z Ninja Minion? (I might even be able to hook you up with some clones.) And can you help with my cover reveal on February 22?