MARKETING:
* Market your book in the specific genre. If you attempt to search outside it, you might have difficulties. Keep the same rule when you check the Writer's Market Book for a publishers to contact.
Marketing activities come from a company associated with buying and selling a
product or service. It includes advertising, selling and delivering
products to people. People who work in marketing departments of
companies try to get the attention of target audiences by using
slogans, packaging design, celebrity endorsements and general media
exposure. The four 'P's of marketing are Product, Place, Price and
Promotion.
TITLES:
* When deciding on a title for your book, be careful of words that are chosen in it. An example: One choice that I had for my book title was A Daughter's Journey. I had to consider removing the word Daughter's from the title--as it would then invite a male readership, as well.
* Go on Barnes & Noble or Amazon's site and key in the title that you're considering. You'd be surprised how many books will come up with the same title. I chose A Healing Heart but couldn't believe how many titles had the word Healing and Heart in it. I was afraid the male reader would not buy it thinking that it was a love story. After finding my cover for the book, I felt it was the perfect name for the book.
POLISHED MANUSCRIPT:
Tightening
up your manuscript is always necessary. It's difficult in the beginning
but becomes easier with practice. As you go through your manuscript,
you'll develop an eye for words to avoid. Soon you'll be eliminating
them before you put them on paper.
* When you type a period (.) or exclamation mark (!), hit Enter once and then begin the new sentence. There's not a supposed to be two spaces after each period.
* Each time the dialogue shifts from one character to the next, start a new paragraph.
Example:
Bill ran outside the grocery store door to see if she was hurt.
Becky, are you ok?
"Yes, a stupid dog ran in front of me!"
The egg carton she was carrying
had fallen on the ground and splattered all over her.
* All thoughts are in Italic,
not "quotations."
Example: As I rounded the corner, John was embracing
Beth. How am I going to get through this?
* Watch for tense in past and present voice. Example:
Yesterday when I went to the store, I bought a loaf of bread. Should be:
Yesterday I had gone to the store and had bought a loaf of bread.
* Tone down the use of the exclamation mark, so when you use it--it has an
impact.
* All thoughts are in Italic, not "quotations."
* Watch for tense--review for consistency in past and present voce.
* Tone down the use of the exclamation mark, so when you use it--it has an impact.
OMIT REPEATED OR UNNECESSARY WORDS
Instead of saying "very important", you could say "critical". Instead
of saying "very often", you could say "frequently". "The very thing" can
have "very" eliminated altogether since it doesn't enhance the meaning
at all. "The very thing" IS the same as "the thing".
Eliminating
a weak descriptor will strengthen the statement without adding additional
words. Instead of saying "very lame", just saying "lame" is equally as
effective.
Other lame words include "just" (she just wanted), or "that" (I told you
that he left), "due to the fact" condenses to "because". Taking out "just"
or "that" does not change the meaning of the statement, so zap them! There
will be occasions where keeping the words will make the sentences flow.
By being aware of need versus unnecessary usage, you can make your manuscript
better.
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