James Taylor and Renea Winchester

Going boldly forward I asked a friend of a friend of another friend how to get on the show realizing that the odds were both slim and none. Settling instead as a guest at one of the classes he teaches, I was shocked when he contacted me and explained that he had punted the idea of me leading a workshop. Instead he thought my book needed a “larger audience,” and asked if I could appear on his program.

Insert a very happy dance.

Followed by (gulp) serious nervousness.

This would be my first television interview and one never wants to leave a bad impression, especially when there isn’t a “do-over” opportunity.

The good thing about spontaneous interviews is that nothing stands between you and the host. There isn’t much preparation time, just James and Renea chatting around a table with a couple television cameras in the background. I find this comforting as the more I think about an interview, the more nervous I become. While the incredibly talented studio crew (thanks guys) pinned the mic on Mr. Taylor he confided that he ”gets a bit nervous.”

Surely not. He was just saying that to make me feel comfortable. It worked. He is a wonderful host. Truly,  I am honored to call him friend.

Feel free to follow this link to the interview. And again, a heartfelt thanks to the readers who have reached out to me since the segment aired, and to “The”  James Taylor, who extended his hand in friendship, “thank you.”

Whenever I bring this up at writers’ meetings, conferences and during general conversations, professional writers are shocked when I tell them that I’ve had (and still have) 2 writing mentors: New York Times Bestselling author, Haywood Smith and USA Today Bestselling author, Jade Lee.  They continue to grow even more shocked when I tell them these professional and extremely talented women have never asked for anything in return and to date, are just a phone call away. 

How did this come about?   Through writers’ conferences, attending chapter meetings and sharing the passion of my project with others.  I didn’t just share my work and have a flurry of authors take me under their wing.  I asked for help, connected with these 2 women (and other bestselling authors after) and followed their lead without question.  This unspoken trust sparked a mentor-student relationship where understanding and the willingness to learn lay the foundation.  I jumped in with a thick skin (the thickest possible) ready to embrace every criticism and red-pen remark. 

I learned and grew as a writer and these women soon became my friends.  They didn’t wave a magic wand and find me an agent or a publisher—that was the next stage in my journey—but they gave me the confidence to go on and believe in myself.  And I did, because they did.  Now I’m a published author myself; but I still remember how they taught me to walk, tread on the fine professional line and be a better writer than I was before. 

So when I shared their books and my gratitude at my very first author talk in January 2012 I wanted the world to know that DUTY AND DESIRE wasn’t just a product of perseverance and persistence.  It was a book, like many others, with a front and back cover, and a story.  And another story lying hidden behind the pages… of two professionals who had believed in it long before the world did. 

The choice to mentor is totally yours.  How deeply you’re willing to get involved in another’s project is your choice too because as a mentor you’re offering the aspiring writer something beyond the written word.  You are offering trust, truth and a belief… perhaps… that you are also just a phone call away.   

Learn more about Anju Gattani at http://www.anjugattani.com/

While ultimately the decision to shelve your book depends on the owner, here is a simple tip that worked for me.

Send readers to their store.

If you want a bookseller to consider your book, they must know they can sell it. (Step One: Write a perfect-error free book about interesting subject matter). 

An aside: I once visited a pitch session with an agent. A pitch session is where you meet an agent and tell them about your book. If they like your “sales pitch,” they request a copy of your manuscript. Anyway, the woman beside me was pitching her book which featured a talking racoon. After the author described her book as the next Art of Racing in the Rain, the agent kindly explained she wasn’t interested and couldn’t sell the story concept.

“So, can I send you the manuscript?” the author asked.

Dear ones, you will not be like that lady. There is a thin line between assertiveness and career-ending pushy behavior.

All of the booksellers I know have owned their store for years (read decades); this means they knows what their customers read. Take a moment to consider this chart from Publishers Weekly:

Understanding how readers find books is crucial for author's attempting to reaching them.

While I am on that subject let me ask this question, “do you spend money in the store you have approached?” Do you have a relationship with the owner?

Good. Keep shopping at the store.

People also  try a variety of methods to trick booksellers into stocking their books. A common technique is having a friend pose as publicist or agent. This is the BIGGEST mistake an author could ever make. For those who have yet to read my book, you will soon learn that everyone knows everyone in this business. Pretty-pretty please with sugary sprinkles on top,  do not do this to yourself. Do not take your book  into the store, (or have your momma, g-ma, preacher, sister, brother or another obscure relative shove self-published pages under the owner’s nose) and then proceed to tell them you have written the best book since the Bible. Certainly, do not call a bookstore and tell them I sent you. Lawhavemercy.

This is exactly the behavior that will ruin your career, before you even have a career.

You are a professional. You will research and understand how to approach a bookseller before actually doing it. Understand that not every store will stock your book. Not every store stocked my first book. This is the nature of the business. Once you read Stress-free Marketing: Practical Advice for the Newly Published Author you will realize the value of their shelf space and the pressure to turn books around quickly.

Dear ones, there is no “fast track” in the writing world. You  must earn your place on the shelves of bookstores with time, patience and a following of readers who adore that perfectly flawless book you have written. Some books never get into the bookstore. They still sell well. They still have a following of readers. Many factors determine the success of your book; professionalism is one of them.

Hope to see you soon.

Hugs,

Renea Winchester

www.reneawinchester.com

How quickly we have gone from the season of Thanksgiving to one of discord. We are bombarded at every angle: as we sit down for dinner, attempt a little couch time, try to read the daily newspaper.

While some people revel in political “discussions,” most are turned off by the constant bombardment of negativity.  Really, am I so unintelligent that someone must twist my arm, spoon feed me, and then maybe even clobber me over the head until I vow to vote for the person they think is right for the job?

Voting booths still have curtains and screens for privacy…right?

Painfully Honest Tip

Before adding your opinion via Twitter, Facebook or on any social media outlet, pause…ponder…and please, please do not post.

Unless you have penned a political expose’ covering one of the candidates, your readers do not need to know your political leanings.

Your readers do not care.

Your opinion will not sway their decision.  However, offering your opinion may change how they think about you?

So what? You ask. I consider it my right to voice my opinion. You may be thinking, Renea Winchester, who do you think you are telling me that I can’t discuss politics?

“Just a regular gal trying to help you sell books, that’s all.”

Painfully Honest Message

Readers have a right to not purchase your books. If they are gagging on your political rhetoric, odds are they will not reach into their wallet and buy your book…even if it is a great book.

Remember, many a friend has been lost over politics. As an author, you should be trying to build (and maintain) relationships not alienate readers.

Before launching into a career damaging revival for democracy ask yourself another question: Am I conducting myself in a professional manner?

Truly, I hope that you are.

Do you endure political memos from your boss?  Does he sit beside you at lunch and yammer on about the latest polls? Does he withhold your paycheck unless you promise to vote for “his candidate?”

I hope not.

Yet I am continually amazed at authors who would be wildly successful if they would just (to use a couple of idioms) get out of their own way and stop shooting themselves in the foot. For those who think I am apolitical let me avow that I am not. Not only do I attend the local government meetings, I take my children with me. I am a patriot descended from patriots.  I phone and write my representative. Still, voting is a personal matter. (Amen?)

I do not care who you vote for, of greater importance is that you vote (insert overuse of exclamation marks!!!!)

For a perfect example of public content I shall direct you to Jolina Petersheim. Her entries provide joyous content. While I have never personally met her, she purposes to write content that delights her readers. I have a sneaking suspicion that she just might be a registered voter.

Dear ones, aspire to do the same.

Be like Jolina.

Purpose to write positive content.

Purpose to make readers fall in love with your words.

Purpose to take the political high-road as often as necessary.

Your readers will love you for it.

As always, thank you for reading my blog.

Renea Winchester is the author of: Stress-free Marketing: Practical Advice for the Newly Published Author FREE to Amazon Prime Members.

$ 2.99 for Kindle Owners

And, In the Garden with Billy: Lessons About Life, Love & Tomatoes, the book that launched me on this journey.

Visit her at www.reneawinchester.com or visit her at one of her workshops.

Writing should not be (all that) painful. A little bit uncomfortable, yes; blood on the forehead, no.

Looking at the photo let’s be honest…it is a jumbled mess. Many authors would take one look at this debacle and run. I actually find comfort in this.

You are witnessing the birth process.

You can see there is an entire section blocked off with a big NO written on it. However, the confusion begins with the words “Keep this sheet” noted at the bottom of the “no”page.  Why would I emphatically write NO, but still decide to keep this sheet when I clearly do not like anything on it?

Primarily  because I may decide to use it somewhere else. Since I continually try to improve and grow as an author, saving this edit reminds me of the areas that need improvement. (hint: no writer is perfect).  Being a sensory writer; meaning that I must touch the paper and physically print a manuscript before I bleed edits upon it; you will see on the left of this photo is a simple sheet of notebook paper whereby I have freewritten an addition (which I marked through a portion of).

This my friend, is the process. That of writing, READING, marking through, bleeding upon, until finally we release a manuscript to a professional editor who will do exactly the same thing. This is why books take years. This is why we press on, scribbling across pages that ultimately look like train wrecks.

For those who are asking: How does this help me market my manuscript? the answer is simple. Clean manuscripts translate into error-free books. We endure this process to bring our readers something they will adore and, hopefully, something they will encourage their friends to read.

Thank you to everyone who subscribes to  my blog. Please forward it to others who are walking their own personal path toward publication.

Stress-free Marketing: Practical Advice for the Newly Published Author FREE to Amazon Prime Members.

$ 2.99 for Kindle Owners  Paperback

And, In the Garden with Billy: Lessons About Life, Love & Tomatoes, the book that launched me on this journey.

Have a wonderful day.

Renea

"I'm going to write a novel."

Today I would like to share a funny video posted by dwkazzie who has created an entertaining video. Please click the link below.

Truly a funny four-minute look at the misconceptions some authors have. Enjoy, and I dare you not to laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9fc-crEFDw&feature=player_embedded

Have a blessed weekend, and please share this post with friends.

Renea Winchester

Stress-free Marketing: Practical Advice for the Newly Published Author FREE for Amazon Prime Members

$ 2.99 for Kindle Owners

Also available: In the Garden with Billy: Lessons About Life, Love & Tomatoes

Whether placing fictional characters in difficult situations, or personally pressing through the real-life anxiety of speaking to a crowd, those who have chosen the author’s life must be brave. Constantly bombarded with life issues as well as characters who-if we’re honest-love to misbehave, oftentimes our lives spin out of control. Today I want to talk about balance.

Dear one, you must take care of yourself.

Pouring your soul into a manuscript is an investment of time. Few authors can boast enough book sales to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Instead, we have a “real job” that pays the bills. We write during our lunch hour, while waiting in line at carpool, before the sun comes up, or after it goes down. Writers seize every opportunity to put pen to paper, an act that sometimes leads to burnout. Following this initial release comes a period of editing, re-editing, asking veteran readers and authors their opinion on your work, and the assembly of a marketing list.

All necessary.

All tiring.

All worth the effort.

The industry classifies this as a “birthing process.” As a mother, let me say that childbirth is much less traumatic to the body than book birthing. Book birthing is exhausting, never for the weak or faint of heart.

Take heed those who are about to release a book, I am talking to you. Before launching your book into the world, take a moment to breathe. Seek peace and quiet, if only for a moment.

Step away from the work.

Let it rest while you do the same.

Treat yourself to lunch with friends; lounge in a bubble bath; take a walk; savor a steamy cup of coffee. You will be glad you did.

As always, I welcome your responses. Visit me on Facebook or my website.

The instructor replied: “Before I answer that question,  tell me how many your manuscript contains.”

“Approximately one hundred and thirty.”

The (multiple-award-winning) instructor’s response: “That’s one hundred twenty-nine too many.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Recently I edited a chapter in which the words “of course,”  appeared eight times. 

After reading the chapter I wondered, what in the world was this author thinking?

Unfortunately, the author was me!!!!

Don’t you hate it when you read something you have written and then wonder, what in the world was I thinking?

Of course. Upon re-reading the work I realized that the phrase was, of course, completely unnecessary.

So are most exclamation marks! Especially sentences where the author uses multiple marks as a way to really express emotion!!!!!

Our job as the author, and storyteller,  is to choose words that adequately express emotion. While it is grammatically correct to write: “Watch out!” It isn’t necessary to decorate emotional dialogue with punctuation as in the example below:

“No!” I screamed as Angela inched closer to the edge. “Stop!”

While reaching toward her I said, “Take my hand!”

Shaking her head, Angela took another step backward. “Stay away from me!”

“Please!!! Don’t do this! You mean too much to me!”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Be honest, didn’t you get tired of seeing an exclamation mark at the end of every sentence?

Of course you did.

Readers quickly tire of exclamation marks and repeated phrases (which my critique group calls “an echo”).

Using a yellow, orange, pink, and light blue highlighter, re-read your work and mark phrases that repeat and unnecessarily punctuation. Then take a moment to review how much color appears on the pages. You might , of course, wish to remove every single word that doesn’t strengthen your manuscript.

As always, I welcome your comments.

Blessings and bestsellers to you!

Visit Renea’s website at www.reneawinchester.com and her other blog at http://blogthefarm.wordpress.com

Perhaps, just maybe it is time to polish your manuscript through the winter months and release it in the spring, a time when all things are new and exciting. I always advise against releasing books in December through February  because Mr. and Mrs. John Q Consumer have spent any extra money during the holiday, January and February bring with it the hope there will be some sort of tax refund. Unfortunately, any tax refund will be used to pay for the holiday gift spending.

Those who believe that December is the best time to release eBooks (because people are receiving wireless readers as gifts) know this, the majority of books uploaded in December are freebies. If you have a backlist of high-quality books, and if you have a reader following, you might consider offering a book for free. However, I strongly advise against releasing your first book for free. Why? This sets the expectation with your readers that the next book will also be free.

So dear self-published scribe, I ask you to wait. Wait before releasing your manuscript. I do not want you to become discouraged. Wait for winter to pass. Wait for spring to come. Wait. While you are waiting read the newspaper and magazines searching for places to market you book. Polish, polish, polish your manuscript until it shines with the newness of spring.

For those who have yet to visit a seasoned blog written by many successful authors, please follow this link http://southernauthors.blogspot.com/ to read Southern Authors Blogspot. 

Blessings to you for a prosperous, best-selling new year.

Visit my website to learn more about me.