Writing Platforms

Common Mistakes Aspiring Authors Make

Writing


When you declare you want to become a full-time writer, publish books, and have your own literary fans, are you really willing to make any sacrifices? If yes, your mission is to build a small empire around your words. To do that, you will need thick skin.
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Don’t Try to Eat the Whole Elephant

Improve your skills one small step at a time.  Writers constantly have rules thrown at them left, right, and center.  Show – don’t tell!  Stop using so many dialogue tags!  Speed up the pace!  Be more social! … it can become really overwhelming.

In order to not be overwhelmed, a writer needs to focus on short assignments.  You can eat a whole elephant – or apple for that matter – if you focus on one small thing at a time, the story will eventually come together to create a whole piece.  The same applies to learn the craft of writing, editing, and publishing.  If writers focus on one aspect of the craft at a time, the process will seem less daunting.

So, when the time comes to clean up that first draft, break the process down.  For example, first, focus on plot development. Second, on “showing”, rather than “telling”.  Third, on subverting those wretched adverbs and cliches… and so on.
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There’s More to Writing a Book Than… Writing
Reading!  Now, reading an easy book is okay for somebody whose career doesn’t involve moving around words and ideas, but it’s poison for any aspiring writer.  Spend time reading outside of your comfort zone, reading the work of authors you admire and the works of authors you detest.  If you fail to feed your mind, then don’t expect it to serve you quality ideas when you next sit down in front of the blank page.
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This Day is Yours to Waste or Spend
Don’t put things off, procrastinate, and say it will keep till later.  I have often started my day, checking emails, reading through social media, bought books on Amazon, phoned a company about a wrong bill, arranged meetings, and done everything else but to write 1000-2000 words before noon.  But if writing a book, it’s the most important thing to do this every day BEFORE everything else.  Why not have a small laptop, just for writing – without a WiFi connection?  Turn the phone down or place it somewhere else, where you don’t see or hear it.
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Literary Magazines are Publishers Too
Submit short pieces of work to build a portfolio of writing credits and excellent connections.  Writers often overlook literary magazines or forget they even exist.  But what many fail to realize is that they offer the perfect opportunity for you to get your name and work available to the public.

Getting your work published in a literary magazine is a bit like having proof that you are a worthy read.  Why?  Because it means there are editors who loved your work enough for it to represent their publication.  A publication that they consider their pride and joy.  No literary magazine or journal is going to publish work that isn’t good enough.

Their reputation is on stake, and they want to make sure the loyal readers they have gathered over the years will stick around.  “What readers?” Literary magazine editors.  They all want to see what their fellow magazines and journals are publishing.  And there’s always a chance that you will make great connections with these editors too.
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Not Having an Online Platform/Presence is Like Airplanes Without Airports – or Boats Without Ports
Develop an online presence before you publish your first book.  There is nothing worse than having a book published and not having a support system to help you promote it.  Form genuine relationships and reciprocate their support.  This is important.  If you have no relationship with your readers/followers, you have no support system.

Get your name out there as early as possible, via a blog, LinkedIn, Twitter, or an online writing community, such as Goodreads or LibraryThing.  It doesn’t matter which avenue you choose, or even if you use multiple, but make sure you choose at least one that you dedicate quality time too.  Look at it as a part of your author-business.  Allocate a time of day in which you focus your efforts on establishing your platform.
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Why Should Every Author Write a Business Plan?
Do you know, for example, which and how many competitive titles are out there?  Do you know how much these authors charge for their books and how well they are selling?  Did you read a couple of these books?  Do you consider spin-off books, sequels, and series?  And most important: Who exactly will be your reader audience?  And how large is this potential audience?  Where can you find them?

Produce a business plan for each and every book you write and publish – long before writing a word of your manuscript.  A business plan helps you determine if a market exists for your book, it helps you to determine if you are a one-book author.  Creating a business plan for each of your books will help you produce a successful title.
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Get Feedback – Even it is Tough to Hear
The well-meaning feedback from friends and family isn’t helpful.  Better find real critiques – several beta readers – such as other writers, Meet-up members/writers or other local writing groups.  Goodreads is also a great place to connect writers with Beta readers.  Fellow writers who are not afraid to tell you what isn’t working. Finding a good beta reader is often as much about being a good beta reader yourself as it is anything else.

Be prepared to give generously, use wisdom in selecting appropriate groups and partners, and take advantage of this resource to help you polish your writing to the next level.  You will want to have the critique before the book is out – not through nasty book reviews or editors/literary agents who refuse to accept your manuscript or to publish your book.
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Make it right from the beginning, don’t be an amateur, trying to figure out your way around the blank page.  Again, writers write!  And don’t forget: Building a writing career takes time. 

 

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Patreon: How Useful is it for Writers?

Patreon


Patreon
can loosely be described  as a mixture of Wattpad and Kickstarter or IndieGoGo.  
If you are not already subscribed to Patreon and supporting artists and writers – or if you, as a writer, haven’t used the site to  upload chapters of your next novel, short stories, or blog articles, check out their site.
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“Through Patreon, fans have given
over $100 million to creators.” 

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On Patreon, the creator sets creative goals to achieve and fans pledge monthly contributions to help the creator reach those goals. Patreon takes a 5% fee from a creator’s pledges.

Writers can use the site to get funding, build a team of supportive readers and grow their writing careers. It’s NOT a get-rich scheme, the most I have seen anyone I personally followed/read receive around $600-$800 a month, but the majority of writers income range from $80-$300. And it may start slowly, once you upload your first chapters, short stories, or blog posts. Promoting your Patreon presence helps a lot to achieve financial success. Let all your social media friends and followers know about, and mention each new upload on your page – as you would do with your website or blog.
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However, it’s a nice supplement that you otherwise wouldn’t have, it creates an audience, and best of all: Beta Readers. It’s a way to start a financial independent future. Plan longterm!
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Read their useful  guide to starting writing projects, where they list a number of successful Patreon writers, including bloggers, short-story writers, podcasters and magazine publishers.  Release a chapter or a blog article at a time.  Anything from a poem a week to a quarterly magazine could find a home on Patreon.

Nicole Dieker, a writer at Patreon, advices in The Write Life: “What if you’re a brand-new writer?  You might not have a lot of readers yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t set up your Patreon page and get started.  Consistency in update releases, consistency in quality, consistency in audience engagement; all of these give your page a ton of validity and success, and foster a dedicated community of patrons.  Stick to a schedule of writing, whether it’s once a week, a month, whatever works best for you as a creator. You can also reblog your Patreon writing on your writer’s website or on a social blog site like Tumblr or Medium — with a link back to your Patreon page, of course!”
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Patreon, like Kickstarter, gives creators the opportunity to offer rewards at various levels of pledge support.  “The most common mistake is a soft launch, which means, telling no one and assuming that the patrons will just come flying in.
Patreon recommends launching with a plan “fear not: we give you a plan!” and having one major objective: make sure every one of your fans knows that you have a Patreon page.”

Get supplemental, but consistent income for your creations, from fans who pay you on Patreon.  Give your patrons special rewards like exclusive content or behind-the-scenes peeks of upcoming work.

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