Monday, July 29, 2024

Choosing the Right Categories and Keywords for Your Book

Selecting the right categories and keywords will be the difference between readers finding your book or your title getting lost in a sea of similar books. Authors need to know what categories and keywords are and how to generate good ones. These serve to boost visibility in searches and make sure your story delivers what it promises.

Category refers to the genre. Most writers know their story’s basic genre but they need to dig deeper to find the specific sub-genres. There are several ways to search for sub-genres.


The Book Industry Study Group sets the standards for book genres – these are the genres recognized by booksellers and libraries. Find your basic genre (most fiction genres fall into FICTION, so start your search there) and then browse the sub-genres. Select ones that best fit your book. You might have more than one basic genre, so search through all that apply.

Publisher Rocket is a program that lets you search for categories. You can select your basic genre and search from there or start entering a word and it will show you all the subgenres. It’s tailored to Amazon but the categories can work for other retailer sites, too.



Use the Amazon search bar to find categories. Go into either “books” or “Kindle store” and type your main genre. Amazon will continue filling out suggested additional words (like Google does) and these can help you find both genres and key words to use.

Make a list of comparable books and authors. Do a search for those titles on Amazon and see what categories they are placed in.

Now, when referring to “keywords,” these are not single words but a string of words or a phrase. Similar to digging deeper for sub-genres, authors need to search for the best string of words to describe their book.

Keywords often blend into categories and genres, so some of what you find from the three searches above can net you some keywords.

Make a topics list of your book. Think of the type of character, where the story is set, themes in the book, and any other words that describe your story. Again, use the Amazon search bar to find categories and phrases that can be used as keywords.

Publisher Rocket is also an amazing program for finding the best keywords on Amazon. Type in a word or two and see what it pulls up. Then click the magnifying glass button to do a comparison. It will give you information on each keyword, including an overall score. That score needs to be a number as low as possible – definitely not in the red – but keeping in mind how many searches are done a month. (A score of 20 but with less than 100 searches a month isn’t any better.)


Remember, avoid very broad and generic keywords. Don’t use other author’s names or brand names, either. And keep in mind that the book’s title and keywords used in categories are already included.

Using those technics means authors are set to categorize and tag a book with great keywords. Keep that list, as genres and keywords can always be adjusted. Whatever helps readers find that book!

Monday, July 22, 2024

HOW TO PUBLISH A COLLECTION OF YOUR SHORT STORIES

 


 By Rayne Hall

Do you want to showcase your short stories by publishing them in a collection? In this post, I’ll show you the professional techniques to make your project a winner.

 From the start, think about your book’s content through a marketing lens.  The formula is simple: Singe Genre + Single Theme = Potential Success.

 

STICK TO ONE GENRE

 Short story collections sell best if they focus on one genre (category), for example, Romance, Fantasy, Historical, Science Fiction or Horror. Collections within a sub-genre have even greater marketing potential, e.g. Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Mediaeval Historical, Dystopian Science Fiction or Psychological Horror. This is because most readers look for their next read in their favourite genre. Rather than browse  thousands of published short story collections, they go straight to the 'Romance' category, or type 'Paranormal Romance stories' in the search box.

Professional Tip: collections within sub-genres – or even sub-sub-genres – have the best chance of getting discovered by readers. The more specialised, the better. A collection of mixed-genre stories is unlikely to get any attention at all. A book of Romance stories will also get lot in the sea of new publications. But  a collection of Paranormal Werewolf Romance tales will whet the appetite of fans of that category. 

So if you write both Romance and Horror stories, or both Middle Grade Children’s Stories and Adult Erotica, don't put them in the same book. You may yearn to publish a book showcasing the broad spectrum of your writing, but unless you're famous, strangers won't be interested enough to spend their money or time on this. Be professional and assess rationally which part of your writing will work best. 

 

CHOOSE A THEME

 Story collections with a theme sell much better than those without one. A theme could be, for example: Seaside, Mother's Day, Italy or Animal Rescue.

 Readers love stories about their favourite subjects. People who are passionate about pets will be drawn to a book with stories of animal rescues, while readers with fond memories of Italy will reach for the collection of stories set in that country. Themed story collections are also popular as gift books: "What can we give Suzie for her birthday? She's a bookworm and loves the seaside. Let's get her a book with seaside stories!"

 Seasonal themes can work well. You could create a collection of stories about Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid, Beltane or Halloween.

 Professional Tip: check the competition. Every year, so many new books with Christmas stories get published that it can be difficult for yours to stand out, whereas Beltane or Easter are relatively rare.

 
HOW MANY STORIES DO YOU NEED?

 You can collect as many or as few stories as you like. There are no rules. However, you must not disappoint your readers.

 The trend is for bigger books. In the early years of ebooks, publishers brought out collections of just three or four stories, and readers purchased them. Nowadays, readers expect to get more stories for their money, and books with under eight scarcely stand a chance. Ten to twenty is better. Some anthologies, especially in the ebook format, contain fifty or more stories.

 However, there are other considerations. If your stories are long – say, over 10,000 words each – then four or five can fill a book. On the other hand, if you’re gathering flash fiction pieces shorter than 1,000 words, you’ll need to offer twenty-five as a minimum.

 If you don’t have enough stories matching the theme, write more.  You could also share the project with one or more other writers to produce an anthology, i.e. a multi-author collection.

 

CHOOSING THE TITLE AND SUBTITLE

The title is the biggest sales tool. Don’t wrack your  brain for fancy wordplays or phrases of deep significance. Instead, focus on telling readers what’s inside: the genre, the theme, and perhaps even the style and the number of stories.  This is what lures readers.

 Here are some examples I’ve made up:

Love Under the Mistletoe: The Mammoth Book of Christmas Romance Stories

Sweet Sixteen: 16 Romance Tales for that Special Birthday

The Cursed Abbey: 13 Gothic Tales of Ghostly Ruins

Footprints in the Sand: Seaside Romance Stories

Lust with Fangs: Sizzling Werewolf Romance Stories

 


Here are the titles of some of my real books:

The Bride’s Curse: Bulgarian Gothic Ghost and Horror Stories  (a single-author collection)

Among the Headstones: Creepy Tales from the Graveyard  (a multi-author anthology I published)

The Haunted Train: Creepy Tales from the Railways (a multi-author anthology I published)

  

ANTHOLOGY OR COLLECTION?

 In this article, I’ve mentioned the word ‘anthology’ several times. Is a collection the same as an anthology?

  ‘Collection’ is a broad category which includes ‘anthology’. If you gather several stories in a book, it’s a collection, regardless of the number of authors involved. Only if the stories are by multiple authors is it an anthology. So, an anthology is a collection, but not every collection is an anthology.  (The definitions have blurred somewhat in recent years.)


 NOVICE MISTAKES TO AVOID

·        Don’t attempt to showcase the whole spectrum of your writing skills in a single book.

·        Don’t pad your book with below-standard or thematically irrelevant content just to get the word count up.

·        Don’t use overly clever titles which can be understood only after reading the book.

 

PROFESSIONAL STRATEGIES

 ·        The tighter the focus of genre, form and theme, the greater is the book’s marketing potential.

·        Study published collections in your chosen genre. Model your project on recently published bestselling collections, e.g. for the number of stories,  the quality, the choice of the title and the marketing methods.  

·        Use the title and subtitle to convey what’s inside your book. This is your best marketing tool.

  

ASSIGNMENT

 Choose the genre, form and theme for your book. Discuss your ideas with readers of the genre, and in the case of an anthology, with some of the writers you hope will contribute.


***

BLURB:  Do you want to showcase your stories in a book? Do you want to become an anthology editor and select other author's short works? Does your writers' group plan a publication for its members?

 In this book, Rayne Hall shows you the professional way of publishing a collection of short tales, how to choose, organise, edit and present them, how to reach audiences and persuade readers to buy this book.

 You’ll learn

·        How to find fantastic stories

·        Which themes have the greatest potential for success

·        Creating guidelines for contributors

·        How to select the right submissions

·        Phrasing rejections and acceptances

·        How to structure the contents, which tale to place at the start and which at the end

·        Editing techniques

·        How to use teasers to hook readers

·        If, when and how much to pay the contributors

·        What to put into the publishing agreements

·        The best ways to present an book showcasing your writers’ group

·        How to publish an anthology to raise funds for a charity

·        Pitfalls to avoid

·        How to secure book reviews, guest post slots and social media attention

 and much more, taking your project to a professional level.

Rayne Hall has worked in publishing for 40 years, and during this time she edited many anthologies - some in the employ of publishing houses, others for her my own publishing business, Rayne Hall Ltd - and also collections of her own works. ln this guide, she shares her experiences so you can learn from them without needing to make your own mistakes. Ebook and paperback: https://mybook.to/anth 

 ***

Monday, July 15, 2024

What Do Writers Need to Know About AI?

One big question that came up recently when we asked our members what more the IWSG could do for them was the issue of AI content. There is a lot of information out there and unfortunately no clear-cut answers. However, below are some resources that will guide you.


On the question of ethics –


From the Alliance of Independent Authors: AI for Authors: Practical and Ethical Guidelines

From Originality.AI: The Ethics Of AI-Generated Content

Ways that writers can benefit from AI -

From Forbes: 13 Ways Writers Should Embrace Generative AI

From Tailwind: 6 Benefits of Using AI Writing Tools for Content Creation

From Reddress Compliance: The Benefits of Using AI Tools for Writers

There are many AI writing tools and plugins, ranging from help with creativity to marketing –


HyperWrite
ChatGPT
Show Me
Wolfram Alpha
AskYourPDF
Anyword
Sudowrite
Jasper
Grammarly
Writesonic
CopyAI
Rytr
ProWritingAid
Assistant by Scite
Type
Buffer’s AI Assistant
Writer
Frase IO
Quillbot AI
SEOwind
ZeroGPT
Some publications and companies won’t accept AI created content. And there are programs that check for AI usage –


Originality.ai
Copyleaks
Sapling

AI created material also brings up other issues regarding copyright. It can generate content that infringes on copyrighted material. There is also the question of whether AI created content can be copyrighted –


Court Finds AI-Generated Work Not Copyrightable for Failure to Meet "Human Authorship" Requirement—But Questions Remain

Artificial Intelligence Systems Present Copyright Infringement Concerns and Challenges

Can AI be creative? Global copyright laws need an answer.

While there are still questions surrounding AI, we here at the IWSG hope that the above information helps you to make a smart choice when it comes to working with AI.

Monday, July 8, 2024

​​If You’re a Fiction Writer, You Absolutely Should Be Blogging


 A guide to marketing yourself and your work 

By Shaunta Grimes 


Every fiction writer should be a blogger.


There. I said it.


Here’s the difference blogging made for me: When I sold my first book to a major publisher, I wasn’t blogging, I didn’t have an email list. I believed the narrative that fiction writers don’t need a platform.


And, to be honest, I was relieved by that idea. I didn’t want to market. I wanted to write. I bet you’ve heard that before. In your own thoughts.


So, I trusted that there wasn’t anything I needed to do to sell my books, except for write them. Only problem was — that book didn’t sell very well.


I sold another book a few years later, and this time I knew that creating my audience was my responsibility. No one else was going to do it for me. So, ahead of that book’s release,  I started blogging and building an email list.


That book went out into the world with about 1000 pre-sales. That’s a big deal. It made a major difference.

If you’re a writer, you should be blogging.

Blogging gives you the chance to publish regularly . Monthly. Weekly. Maybe even daily. It also puts you in control of the content, something that might be a pleasant change if you’re used to relying on the subjective tastes of various gatekeepers.


Until they’re relatively well known, even the most prolific fiction writer doesn’t publish often enough to really build and engage an audience. Even if you’re one of those hyper-productive indie-published authors who’s slamming out a novel four or more times a year, that’s a fraction of the amount of connection you could have with your audience via blogging.


Blogging gives your audience the chance to get to know you personally, which is how you build a base of fans for your body of work. And blogging  is one of the best means for building an email list full of those fans.


Truly, blogging is really a no-brainer for fiction writers. We’re already storytellers. We already enjoy the base activity–writing. There’s a learning curve for the technical aspect, but once that’s overcome, the activity itself is easy and fun.


Blogging is  a lower-stakes version of our main occupation that allows us to publish super regularly and connect directly with readers.


Plus, with a little extra work, it can bring in some income. Maybe even long before fiction writing does.

I hope I’ve convinced you: fiction writers should be regular bloggers. But we have a problem.

Because lots of people are telling non-fiction writers how to blog and how to build an email list and how to reach their audience. But what about novelists or short story writers or poets or artists of any kind? There’s so much bad information out there, when there’s any information at all. Most of the time we’re left trying to scramble to figure out how to make information fit our needs, when it wasn’t really meant for us.


I got so excited several years ago because one of the big online writing advice guys was advertising a webinar promising that he had the answer. He was going to teach fiction writers how to blog. So I signed up and I logged in. And his big idea?


Fiction writers should be writing book reviews, he said. Write a book review every month. That was it. The entirety of his advice.


I wanted to reach through my computer screen and strangle him. Or at least send some kind of message to all the other writers listening with bated breath.


Because that’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.


This is a bad idea on so many levels. The biggest one being that he was encouraging writers to venture into turf that isn’t theirs.


Repeat after me: Book reviews are for readers. 


Once you become a writer, they aren’t your business. If you’re reviewing books similar to yours, you won’t be able to really be critical because you’re talking about your colleagues (even if you don’t know them.) So they’ll be weird, stilted reviews at the very least.


And, like I said, you’ll be inserting yourself into an arena where you don’t belong. Because–one more time–book reviews are for readers. Not writers.


I promise you, building a blog around book reviews if you’re a fiction writer is a bad idea.


This guy has helped fiction writers do some pretty amazing things, it’s true. But not this. What he’s done in the past is help expand on the success of  fiction writers who already have a platform. Which is a whole other animal from being a brand new, aspiring creative writer with no platform at all.


Writing book reviews will not build an audience for a specific writer. And, the real problem is that you’re setting yourself up for critiquing your colleagues, which wouldn’t be good advice in any other industry. It’s not good advice in ours either. 


What I’d like to do today is take a look at a better way.

It starts with figuring out what you want to say.

There are two things that I feel very strongly should not be the foundation for a fiction writer’s blogging venture:


  • Critiques of fellow writers. (AKA book reviews.)

  • Our own writing.


No one cares about our cover reveals or our writing processes if they don’t know who we are. Truthfully, they wouldn’t care about our writing process if we were their favorite writers.


I can prove it to you. Ask yourself how many writers you follow because you’re riveted by their processes?


Uh huh. Exactly. You follow them because they entertain you or they teach you something. You aren’t doing them a favor. It’s all about you.


I’m going to say that one more time, because it’s really important.


Your readers aren’t doing you a favor. They’re reading your blog for themselves. Because readers are human beings and human beings are all about themselves. Maybe your mom or your best friend is reading to do you a solid, but random readers aren’t. Again, ask yourself how often you spend your time reading because you want to help the writer out.


I do have some good news, though. 


If you do two things, you’ll be able to build an audience that will love you and follow you and buy your books: Introduce your readers to you and then make it all about them.


The reason why that’s excellent news is that it means that It doesn’t matter what you blog about. 

Whatever interests you, whatever is interesting about you, whatever you’re good at, whatever you want to be good at. You’ll find people who care about those things, too.


And when you write for those readers, they’ll care about you. Which means they’ll care when you publish a book. It becomes a whole circle of life thing. It’s beautiful.


For the record, just because you’re a writer, doesn’t mean that you have to write about writing, either. You can write about anything. You’ll find readers who are interested in the topics you want to write about.


And as those readers become fans, they’ll get excited with you when you do talk about your fiction. Which you will, sometimes. Just not exclusively, or even most of the time.


Let’s talk a little about blogging.

There are really two things you can do as a blogger: teach something you’re an expert at or learn something you’re not an expert at.


When I write about writing fiction, I put on my expert cap: I’ve been a fiction writer for more than 20 years, I’m traditionally published, I have an advanced degree in creative writing.


When I write about writing fiction, I’m teaching readers what I’ve already mastered. I’m a sherpa who already knows the way.


When I write about my ongoing effort to be more organized, I’m most definitely learning out loud. I hope no one comes to me looking for expert advice about how to be an organized person, because I am not your girl. I might be able to inspire you to try, though. We’ll figure it out together.


When I write about organization, I’m taking readers along with me as I do this thing I’ve never done before. I’m a stumbler, just like you.


See the difference?

So, start here: Take an inventory. 


Get out a notebook and make a couple of lists. One quick rule, though. Don’t limit your list to the the things you think you should be blogging about. Go wide here.


Start with things you’re good at.


Now list things you aren’t good at, but you want to be.

Next think about your most interesting life experiences.


Finally, what are you interested in?


What you’ll end up with is a list of things you can mine for ideas. I find that this list is a good place to look for intersections. 


Like: how does creativity (one of the things I’m interested in) fair when you’re part of the sandwich generation (one of the things that’s interesting about me)? Or why should fiction writers (one of the things I’m good at) watch a lot of television (another thing I’m good at)? Or can you be a writer (one of the things I’m good at) and a poor single mother (one of the things that’s interesting about me) at the same time?

Put it all together.


Take a look at your lists and decide which ones resonate the strongest with you.


For me, that’s: writing, starting a business, marketing, creativity, productivity, body positivity, weight loss, personal finance, poverty, autism, dementia.


Then start paying attention.


What questions do people ask about the things that matter to you?  Write the answers in blog posts.


What have you observed about your topics? Write about those observations in blog posts.


What ideas do you have that relate to your topics? You guessed it–write about them in blog posts.


I also like to keep books related to my favorite topics near my desk. When I’m stuck for an idea, I just flip one open and I’m nearly always inspired by what I find.

Finding time for it all.


It helps to see blogging as part of your job. Not a side project you work on when you have the time, but an important part of your writing career.


Finishing your novel is a big deal. You need to do it. So you don’t want blogging to take over and push fiction writing out. But when that novel is finished, when you’re ready to publish it, you’ll be glad you took the time to build a little platform for yourself.

Seth Godin said, “Everyone should write a blog, every day, even if no one reads it. There’s countless reasons why it’s a good idea and I can’t think of one reason it’s a bad idea.”


Nearly daily blogging is a big part of my life and I agree with Seth. There are countless reasons it’s a good idea. As long as it’s not shifting you away from fiction writing, I can’t think of a single negative.


But if you can’t swing a daily blog, commit to three times a week. Or even once a week. Just show up for yourself and your readers when you say you will.


Here’s my favorite tool for keeping myself accountable to both fiction writing and blogging.


Now, get out there and write. I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Wednesday, July 3, 2024

An IWSG Day Software Update


Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. 

And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the July 3rd posting of the IWSG are JS Pailly, Rebecca Douglass, Pat Garcia, Louise-Fundy Blue, and Natalie Aguirre!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

July 3 Question - What is your favorite writing processing software, apps (e.g. Word, Scrivener, yWriter, Dabble, Google Docs, Fictionary, Atticus), and tools? Why does it fit your process? Why do you recommend them? Which is favorite if you have more than one?

Is it sad that I've only ever heard of half of those examples? I still stick with good old Word and use Excel to keep notes and stuff. Heck. Sometimes I may just jot stuff down in notepad until I get it to where it needs to go. Nothing fancy here.

Got any better software than I do? Does it make life easier? Have you heard of all the examples above?