2. Describe features and benefits when pitching your book.  For instance,  the key feature of my novel To Kill An Armchair Husband,  a dark comedy is that it’s a dark comedy.  I build this feature into the sub title, so the main title wouldn’t scare off potential readers. And so my family members, namely my husband and children, wouldn’t freak out.  The subtitle, a dark comedy also serves to describe the benefit. The book is a comedy, therefore a reader should find the story entertaining and laugh . . . a lot.

3. Believe in your book. An author must be absolutely convinced that his or her book is good, that it’s worth X dollars and X hours of someone’s time.  This confidence must come across  everywhere, in person, on the author’s website, on promotional materials, etc., etc., etc.  If you’re shy or uncertain, then fake it till you make it, baby! You wrote it, it’s published, now go for it!

Terri

I never liked this model. I’ve had a lot of jobs and enjoyed a solid level of career success in terms of titles, responsibilities and compensation. But, I’ve also chosen to think of my career in terms of a carousel not a ladder. I’ve ridden a number of mounts, on an ever moving platform and when I’ve gotten bored, I’ve surveyed to my left, my right, in front and behind to find the new ride that was of interest or presented a colorful opportunity.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not some Polly Anna skipping down the primrose path looking at the world through rose colored glasses. I’ve tackled tough jobs and worked hard. I’m just saying that life isn’t linear. And, life is more fun when there is music playing. And, no matter how hard you may try to keep things steady and upright and moving forward, life is filled with all kinds of motion and commotion, ups and downs.

So, it’s okay to get up and move around. Explore uncommon opportunities. Stop and say hi to others. Grab a handhold if you need to. But, you can get off, carefully, for awhile, to take a break, take on other important roles outside of your career, concentrate on home or babies or caring for aging relatives. Then, when you’re ready, step back on, find the mount that’s available that suits your needs without pushing anyone off to take their place or stepping on or over anyone to get there. Seek out options knowing there’s more than what’s directly above you. And never forget, it’s just a ride.

Have you read these books?  If so, let me know what you think?  If not, check them out!

Time Management 1.4: Creating Your Plan

Now that you know what’s important and what’s not, we can look at how to create a plan that works for you.  We’re not yet at the color coded Excel spreadsheet yet (though you can make one at this point if you want!).  Right now we’re just creating a basic plan.

Okay, take out your happy list, your categories list, and your “what to get rid of” list.

We’re going to make a weekly chart.

Take out a clean sheet of paper.  You can do this in Excel, too, if you like.  Turn it side-ways and across the top, write the days of the week.  Leave a column to write times on the right side and one to write notes on the left side.  I write out Monday through Sunday, because I like to see my weekend days together.  Do what works best for you.

Now, down the right side write the time (I recommend ½ hour to 1 hour increments) from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep.  Consider how much sleep you need.  If you need 10 hours, make sure that’s included in your chart.  You can’t function with high energy if you’re too tired.  If you have to be up by 7am so that you can get to work on time, count backwards to determine what time you need to be in bed.

Once you’re done with that, write in the most important obligations, tasks, appointments, etc.  For instance, if you must be at work by 8am, put that in.  If you take your kids to school at 8:45 or must pick them up at 3:15, put that in, too.  If you write every day between 5am and 7am, put that in!  Now, based on the work we did last week, you should have gotten rid of any obligations that aren’t serving you or making you happy.  So, they shouldn’t go in your chart.

If you do have obligations that you’re not happy with, but can’t seem to get rid of, like scrambling to pick the kids up or rushing to get them to school, consider other options.

For instance, I was scrambling to drop off the kids and pick them up after working a 9 hour day.  Often, I was running late in both directions.  My husband and I had decided I would perform these tasks because my job was closer to the day care.  However, I was running ragged and never had a moment to breathe.  So, we considered other possibilities.  He decided he could start work later and take the kids in the morning.  This meant that I could go to work earlier and pick up the kids earlier, too.  Our children ended up in daycare less time, I felt less harried, and my husband and I shared the burden of pick up and drop off, making our family more relaxed and less rushed on either end of the work day.

What types of tasks are you performing that someone else can manage?  This can be work or home tasks.  What chores at home can be passed off to your kids?  Even a four year old can dust and help set the table.  And an intern make copies, schedule meetings and file.

Once you get in all of your obligations (make sure all daily items are repeated throughout the week), consider your happy list and your categories.  What hasn’t been in your schedule that you would like to have there?  It may not seem like you have the time, so consider items that can be done simultaneously, from tasks like talking to family and unloading the dishwasher to riding your bike with a friend or listening to music while you clean.

When I started looking at categories and themes in my happy list, I found that exercising was something I wanted to do, but not something I ever seemed to fit into my life.  I started pairing it with things I always included – like socializing with friends and reading.  I started going to the gym to ride an incumbent bike and read a book.  I spent an hour there relaxing and reading AND getting my exercise.  I felt refreshed and ready to take on the world when I was done – I also brought my kids to the kid’s place at the gym.  They loved it because they got to play with other children right after spending all day in school.  It really worked for all of us and I did four days a week.

Add in those things that you want to be a priority in your life, whether it’s a weekly date night or a daily walk.  It’s important; schedule it into your day.  This goes for writing time, too.  Also, it is okay if you’re only putting in 15 minutes a day to start.  Put it in!  It makes you happy and that means it’s essential to your well-being.

Okay, do you have everything in?  If you have monthly obligations, add that to your notes column, and be sure to add those into what ever calendar/organization system you use.

How does your weekly chart look?  Does it depict a better balance of work and play?  Does it include things that make you happy as well as things that make you feel productive?

As you schedule each week (I recommend you pick one day a week to do your scheduling) use your chart and be sure that the things on this chart get into the appropriate days first — before you plan anything else.  This will help you keep writing time sacred and date night important, and it will alert you not to schedule another appointment during that very precious time.  And keep in mind…it’s okay to slip up.  Don’t give up.  It takes practice to live by your priorities, but if you keep coming back to your chart for guidance, you’ll start to see a shift in the way you live.

I hope this helps you get started with managing your time!

The first week we talked about what makes you happy.  Last week we talked about discovering what’s most important to you.  This week, we’re getting rid of the other stuff.

Many of us are juggling a number of roles – spouse, partner, parent, friend, co-worker, employee, business owner, hobbyist and volunteer.  Managing the various aspects of our lives successfully requires a high level of organization (did I mention we probably want clean living space and time to relax and pursue personal projects).  It also, to some extent, requires a level of acceptance that each thing might not be done perfectly – but, that’s another post.

The most important thing: We agreed to take on each project or role because we wanted to.  We made an active choice to accept the task and all of its responsibilities and we’re committed to the success of each endeavor. Plus, our involvement makes us happy and fulfilled, right.  Right?

Everything you agreed to do, you’re doing because you want to, right?  Because you chose to, not because you were guilted, manipulated, coerced or think you have to, right?

Everything?

Are you sure?

For a very long time, so many of the things on my list carried with it all of the heaviness that the word OBLIGATION implies.  I did it because I HAD to, not because I wanted to.  I felt bad saying, “No.”  And so, I never did.  I took on the troubles and tasks of others, and put mine aside, wondering the entire time why I was always stressed, worried and empty.  But, about three years ago, I began to realize that the life I was living and the one I wanted to live were thousands of miles apart.  I wasn’t sure how to get to where I wanted to go; I only knew I wasn’t there.

After I made the happy list, I started looking at what made me unhappy.  There were lots of things, like cooking, cleaning, sitting in a cubicle, working for someone else; to name a few.

Start thinking about those things in your life that you don’t like or want there – they may no longer make you happy or fulfilled (maybe they never did), they may be busy work that you can pass off or pay someone else to do.  Consider your to-do list and ask yourself if there is anything on it that now your children (or spouse) can now handle?  For instance, my husband and oldest son now do the laundry.  Both children feed the animals and my youngest son now dusts.  Are there obligations that no longer work?  Are you volunteering in the areas that please you most?  I was stacking books for the school library for two hours a week; I stopped doing it and instead volunteered my time as the president of the pre-school advisory board.  I spend less time each week and it’s more in alignment with my goals.

Think about all you delete, delegate, delay or diminish.  Now we’re getting into the meat of time management, but it takes some serious introspection.  And some willingness to ditch what’s not working so that you can embrace the good stuff.

If there are things on your list that you’re unhappy about, but know that you won’t or can’t get rid of them, we’ll focus on them next week when we discuss Creating Your Plan.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at christine@litsisters.com.  Check back regularly for more LitSisters™ writing tips and resources.

Next Week: Time Management 1.4: Creating Your Plan

With the popularity of eBooks growing by leaps and bounds, might we actually be moving backwards in terms of cover art? Once upon a time, books were bound in thick but plain colored leather or even fabric. Titles and author names were displayed in dark print or sometimes gold leaf on both cover and spine. Only the rich purchased books and these were displayed on book shelves were quantity was often viewed as more impressive than quality. Law books and other scholarly works continue this tradition of plainness, as if to emphasize the complexity of what is contained within. Maybe to challenge or perhaps to confirm that you can judge a book by its cover.

Over time, dust covers became trendy. They became a way to distinguish one novel from the next, not just to protect the book underneath, but to catch the eye of the potential buyer and to add space on the flyleaf for a well written hook, the author’s credits and bio and maybe a photo. Cover art became a new standard in publishing and became integrated into the marketing efforts of all types of publications propelled by the popularity of paperbacks. Consider the distinctive black and yellow graphics of the For Dummies series or the Fabio type models featured on the covers of certain romance novels.

Standard book sizing to fit on standard book shelves at libraries and brick and mortar book stores added to the importance of cover art. If all books were to be lined up with only the spine showing, what colors and fonts and features would scream out to a passerby, “Pick Me!” And, what Pick Me attributes will now translate into thumbnail sized images on web sites where so many books are now being selected for purchase or electronic download. Even when you have the option to click here to make the image larger, how much of an influence will cover art have on book selection in the digital age?

I believe it will still have a marketing value. That creative art adds a positive impression before we even crack open a novel and read the first sentence. But, I also believe that cover art will modify as conditions change and purchasing habits alter. And, in terms of book reading and status, I am just waiting for the Coach or maybe Prada custom covers to buy for my Kindle…

Whether you’re an Indie author, or you’ve chose to go the traditional route of being agented, there is one major common fact: there is no money for marketing. The state of the industry doesn’t allow for it. So you’re this new author, with this amazing new book that you’ve worked on making as perfect as it can possibly be. Well, now what? How do people buy it? How do they find out about it? And the most important question: how can you make more money selling it?

And the easiest answer, dear readers, is this: social media.

Here are my top five tips for getting started on social media promotion for your book.

Get Profiled!
You’ll want profiles on all of the prominent social media websites: Twitter, Facebook, Delicious, Digg, etc … Upload photos of yourself, your book, any events you’ve done, things like that.

Use the Resources
Now that you’re all set up and good to go, USE THEM! The only way for people to remember who you are, is if you make yourself visible. Think of the old advertising rule: consumers need to see an advertisement seven times before the business name resonates with them. If someone needs to see you seven times before they recognize you, how many times does it take to get them to buy from you?

Build Relationships
While money, as with this and any other business, is the bottom line, you can’t view social media as social media = $. It just doesn’t work that way. You’re building relationships here. You’re making that connection with other writers, small presses, potential readers … caring about who you’re talking to and spending the time to get to know who they are will make all the difference when it comes to promoting your work.

This Shouldn’t Even Have To Be A Point
You have a website, right? And a blog, of course. And you’re updating with useful, relevant content several times a week, correct? And you’re making sure that you’re writing in your voice, and maybe even including little tidbits of your personal life to reach out and make that personal connection with your readers. I shouldn’t even have to put that here, right?
Yeah, I didn’t think so. You’re on top of stuff. Right?

Don’t Whore Yourself Out
With social media, you’re walking a fine line between good promo and being a pain-in-the-ass. I hate to be crude (okay, I really don’t) but the best way to make the most out of your social media is to understand that no one wants to be spammed. And no one wants to be forced into your product. If every update you make is about “Buy my new book!” “OMG did you buy my book yet!” “Hey, didya know I have a book and you should totally buy it?!” … yeah, you’ve just crossed into PITA territory. Keep it light, keep it simple, KEEP IT RELEVANT.

Lastly, think of social media like a party. Behave as if everyone you meet online is someone you’re meeting at a party. Writing is what you do, not what you are, and surely, you have other things to talk about. We good? Good. Now, go get started by joining the party at the LitSisters Facebook Group!

(see what I did there? eh? eh?)