by Hope Ford | Sep 29, 2020 | Work from Home, Writing Tips
Category Finder Website
I’ve received a few questions about categories so I thought I would share how I research what categories my book should be in. Well, of course Publisher Rocket has a great, easy way on their platform, but I wanted to share something that was FREE to use.
There is an awesome website that helps with all of this. Click Here for Category Website
When you go there, you can click on CATFINDER at the top of the page.
It will open a new page and you will see a space to enter an ASIN number. Type in the ASIN number of the book, click “Go Find” and wait for the magic.
It will pop up with all the categories that book is in.
HOW DO I USE THIS INFORMATION?
Ok, so I usually search a book that I believe is comparable to mine. We’re in the same genre, maybe same trope, or maybe we just both write instalove. So I’ll search the book and find what categories it is in. It will even tell you their rank in that category. This is great information to see what categories you should be listing your book in.
Just a note, if your book doesn’t belong in a category, don’t put it there. I know you probably already know that, but still, I had to put that out there. LOL
HOW DO I REQUEST CATEGORIES?
Go to Author Central
Find the book you want to update
Click Contact us at the bottom
Under select an issue, choose browse categories
Under select details, choose I want to update my books categories
Choose email and then type in the email what categories you want to add. And just so you know, when you request, you have to have the correct path. BKLINK gives you the path you can enter.
When I looked up Bad Boy Best Friend, this is what it showed. So if you wanted in one of these categories, you could copy and paste the thread from here. I highlighted above what I would enter if I wanted my book in the Contemporary Romance Fiction category.
by Hope Ford | Nov 15, 2019 | Motivation, Resources, Writers Blog, Writing Tips
5 Tips to Beat Writer’s Block and Find the Joy in Writing Again
I think as writers, we’ve all been there. We’ve all hit that burnout phase, better and more horrifically known as Writer’s Block. It’s the bane of every writer’s existence. We strive to make art…and then, one day, for no reason at all, we can’t make anymore. Maybe it lasts for a day, maybe it lasts for a month. Maybe it lasts for a year. But for however long it lasts, to not be able to do the thing we were meant to do is absolutely soul-crushing.
How do we beat it? How do we refuse to let it get the best of us?
Here, I offer 5 tips that have proven effective for me in cases of mild to severe writer’s block. I hope they help anyone dealing with it, too.
Tip 1: TAKE A BREAK.
Now, this seems like a “No sh*t, Sherlock” statement. Isn’t writer’s block essentially a FORCED break? Yes and no. Reframe the block in your mind. It’s not that you cannot create. It’s just that your mind is telling you it’s tired. It needs rest. If you have the urge to write, but are having trouble focusing, and you spend your designated writing time staring at that little blinking cursor on your screen, that could be your mind begging you to give it some reprieve. So, what do you do? You draw a big X through the production day on your calendar, and you take a break. For the whole day. No writing. What to do instead? Read a book you’ve been dying to start. Read a magazine with a glass of wine or maybe some coffee or even a refreshing cup of tea. Take the furbabies for a walk. Relax in the bathtub, then put on some movies, or catch up on that new Netflix show that’s been on your radar. No matter what you choose, make it relaxing and soothing to your mind with as low cognitive load as possible. If the next day you’re still having trouble focusing, repeat until you feel refreshed to start writing again.
Tip 2: EXERCISE.
Sometimes, we spend hours at our computer, trying to pound out the words to meet deadlines and stay on track. We’re demanding a lot from our bodies by being sedentary for such long periods. Exercise is a wonderful thing. Not only is it good for our bodies, but it’s good for our minds too. Whatever exercise looks like for you—whether that’s a fifteen-minute stroll with your dog or on the treadmill, dancing for twenty minutes in your bedroom, running a couple miles, or a grueling, hour-long MMA workout or weight-lifting session, make it a regular part of your week. Start with one or two days a week, then work up to four or five. You might be surprised at the mental clarity you have each day when you return to your computer. Want bonus points? Every hour, get up and stretch and move your legs a little around the house. Or, every thousand words, do ten jumping jacks or crunches. Make sure you’re giving back to your body so it continues to fuel your mind.
Tip 3: SLEEP.
This might seem counterproductive, but sometimes, sleep is the very best thing you can give your body and your mind. Did you know that the vast majority of Americans are chronically sleep-deprived? You’ve heard that statistic a thousand times—we’re supposed to get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Raise your hand if you hardly ever hit this range. I know my hand is up. But I’ve discovered from serious firsthand experience what a chronic lack of sleep does to me, and it’s not pretty. Like exercise, this is a habit that needs time to build up. Start shooting for one extra hour from where you currently are. If you get four hours a night now, go to bed one hour earlier, no excuses. Build from there until you hit 7 hours. Then shoot for eight. Then shoot for nine, just to finetune the right number of hours for you. And no, lying in bed scrolling Facebook or playing games for an hour before bed is NOT sleeping.
Tip 4: DRINK WATER.
Yeah, this one will send you running to the bathroom every hour, but hey! In Tip 2, I told you to move your legs every hour, right? Like sleep, most people are chronically dehydrated. This affects in a number of really awful ways, from our mood to the way our organs function to our skin and hair. Earlier this year, I made a conscious decision and effort to drink a minimum of 75 ounces of water a day. A gallon is better. This sounds like a lot of water, and it is. But you know what? In days of practicing this, I noticed some crazy things. My skin, suffering from hormonal acne breakouts for the better part of a year, started to clear. My hair, which had been thinning and brittle, started to become a little more lush and then, after a while, it grew like crazy. I had more energy, I had better mental focus, and my mood even stabilized. Water is a beautiful thing, and our bodies NEED IT TO THRIVE. So drink up!
Tip 5: CLEAR THE COBWEBS.
Sometimes our brains become like attics, where dust and debris and other crap just builds up until there’s no more room for anything else—like the effort we want to put forth in our WIP. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to write—we just can’t write the current project we’re working on. So, just for a day or two, or even an hour here and there where you need it, clear out the mental attic. Freewrite for a while, even if it’s nonsense. Work on that short story you’ve had on your mind that’s totally different from your WIP. Write a blog post. Write a poem. Outline another novel you’ve had bouncing around in your mind. Flex those creative muscles in a different way and sweep the cobwebs out, then go back to your WIP with a fresh, clean space in your mental attic.
I hope these tips help!
For more information like this, or if you just wanna chat, please drop me a line at mazzyking.com or visit me on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter at @mazzykingwrites.
xo,
Mazzy
by Hope Ford | Nov 1, 2019 | Motivation, Work from Home, Writers Blog, Writing Tips
Today, on the blog, I have Elisa Leigh and I’m just going to put it out there – she is awesome! She’s my “go to” when I need to ask how to do something, book cover advice, or even for a pick me up after a bad review. Everyone needs an Elisa in their life – I’m just sayin’! Anyway, here she is.
An Interview with Elisa Leigh
Tell me about you and your books (how many books have you written, when did you start, what type of books, etc.)
Hi J I’ve been publishing since April 2017 and have written 27 books including short stories, novellas, and full-length novels. I recently quit teaching elementary school and became a full-time author. I write a little bit of everything, but all romance. All of my books have an HEA and there’s always plenty of steamy scenes.
How do you come up with your ideas for your books?
Sometimes I’ll hear a line in a song that makes me want to explore it and turn it into a book. Other times I’ll see a real-life situation and think hmmm that would be awesome in a book lol.
What are your tips for choosing a cover?
When choosing a cover picture you want to choose something that really catches your eye and makes you stop and want to know more. It just has to pop!
How do you deal with writer’s block?
If I’m stuck in the middle of a book, I’ll go back and reread what I’ve already written. This usually helps to give me ideas about what should happen next or helps me remember an element I need to touch on again. If I’m stuck on starting a book, I’ll read a book in the genre I’m writing in to help get my juices flowing.
Do you write to market? Why or why not?
I think I’ve unintentionally written to market and the book did well. When I tried writing to market to replicate my success with the previous book it didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Now I just write what I want to write. I do not think writing to market is bad, in fact I think it’s smart. You are giving readers what they want, so how can that be a bad thing?
What are five things you do to market your book, after you hit publish?
- Claim my book on BookBub. If my book is long enough, they will send an alert out to all of my followers on BookBub that I have a new release. BookBub is consistent with sending out alerts while Amazon sends alerts, but you don’t know when they will go out. Building your followers on BookBub can be very helpful.
- Claim my book on Author Central. This makes my book visible on my author page of Amazon.
- I have a part of a group of authors who all share everyone’s new releases. Finding authors with similar readers is great. They put your book in front of their readers to promote you and might eventually give you a try.
- Share my new release on my Facebook page, Facebook profile, and in my Facebook group. I also share my new release in book groups that allow sharing.
- Finally, I send out a newsletter to all of my subscribers to let them know about my new release.
What do you do if a book is just not selling?
I move on to the next book I’m working on. Dwelling on a bad book release won’t help me in the future.
What advice would you give a brand new author, just starting out?
Don’t give up. I’m not saying it won’t happen but having a bestseller on your first book is unlikely. Don’t compare yourself to authors who have been doing this for a while. They’ve built their brand and their readership. They’ve done the time just like you will need to. The best advice I received from another author was “I didn’t really start selling any books until my 8th release.” That was the same for me. I’m not saying you won’t sell books, but if you’re writing and wanting to make this a career, you’re going to have to keep at it and keep publishing to see some success.
How do you deal with negative reviews?
If the reviews are constructive and give feedback that I can learn from to improve my writing I listen to it and move on. The bad review stings, but at least it helps in some way. If the review is pure bashing, I will vent to another author about it and then get over it within a couple of days. It’s not easy, but the best thing to do is move on.
How do you build relationships with your readers?
I enjoy interacting with my readers in my reader group Elisa’s Book Beauties. When you make an engagement post, you need to engage with your reader’s responses by replying to a comment or at least liking it. Also, the more real and personable the posts are, the more people can relate. Also, half naked guys and food posts get lots of responses lol. I’ve started doing Facebook Lives in my group and while scary at first, they are really fun.
How do you build relationships with other authors?
That’s a hard one. I guess I start out by sharing author’s posts and commenting on their posts. I’m kind of shy, but I love to help so I offer my support whenever I can.
What are your plans for future books?
Honestly, I want to finish all of my open series so that I can focus on all of the new series ideas I have. The problem is, I keep coming up with new ideas and wanting to write those books instead. Probably not the best idea lol.
Is there any other advice you would like to give?
I’d like to reiterate not to give up. You’ll get out of it what you put into it. I also find that publishing once a month helps too. I hope something I said helps. Also, if you have any questions feel free to message me on Facebook or send me an email at elisaleighauthor@gmail.com.
Do you want to know more about Elisa Leigh? Find her here:
Website: www.elisaleigh.com
Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/df1Zkr
Facebook: www.facebook.com/elisaleighauthor
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/eleighauthor/
Reader Group: www.facebook.com/elisasbookbeauties
Forever Love Covers & Design: www.facebook.com/groups/foreverlovecoveranddesigns/
Instagram: @elisaleighauthor
by Hope Ford | Oct 18, 2019 | Motivation, Writers Blog, Writing Tips
Hey All! Let me tell you how excited I am to have Frankie Love on here! She is amazing. I started reading her books way before I started writing and if you follow her on FB or IG, you know what an inspiration she is. Well, she didn’t let me down. Her interview is so motivating and I learned so much from it. I hope you love this as much as I do! Get Ready!
An Interview with Frankie Love
Tell me about you and your books (how many books have you written, when did you start, what type of books, etc.)
Hi! I’m Frankie Love and I write filthy-sweet stories with happily-ever-afters. I’ve written over 100 books and started publishing romance in 2016. I feel like the luckiest girl to have this job! I was a stay-at-home mom and used to mommy-blog before I was an author. With six kids, being able to work from home has been one of the greatest gifts of my life.
How do you come up with your ideas for your books?
I fell in love at first sight when I was 18 and got married a year later (and I was a virgin to boot), and then the kiddos arrived soon after. I write what I know! I mean, maybe my husband isn’t a bear shifting lumberjack, but he does have a beard and his nickname is Bear—so!
Honestly, I write what feels good and is authentic to me. Stories have been my escape since I was a little girl – and I try to recreate that warm-fuzzy feeling in each of my books.
What are your tips for choosing a cover?
Does it match the vibe of the book? Does it stand out? Does it tell the reader what they need to know? Does it fit with your brand and your goals? These are the questions I ask myself. I write with my readers in mind and choose covers for them too.
How do you deal with writer’s block?
I plan fake vacations on Expedia and fill up virtual shopping carts with clogs and make-up.
Do you write to market? Why or why not?
Well yes and no. Before I wrote romance I wrote young adult fiction. I couldn’t sell it for the life of me! It was all so heartbreaking. A fellow author pointed out that my YA books had lots of romance in them and wondered if I’d considered writing adult romance. A spark was lit and I jumped in head first, finding readers and my voice. It changed my life. But also, I don’t write to market because no one thought putting tons of babies on covers was a good idea but it felt right to me. And hey, sometimes our gut instincts are the only ones that matter!
What are five things you do to market your book, after you hit publish?
- Smile and send all the positive energy I can toward my story, believing in my words and myself.
- Write a newsletter and tell my loyal readers about the book. I want them to be the first to know.
- Share on social media – FB and IG. Two platforms I know my readers are.
- Get back to my current work in progress.
- Repeat
What do you do if a book is just not selling?
Vent to my husband and close author friends, asking for advice. If it’s a blurb or cover issue I work on that right away. If it is a story issue I move on. I don’t spend time reworking an actual novel once it is published. The best thing I can do is take any lessons I can from the project and apply them to my next one.
What advice would you give a brand new author, just starting out?
Believe in yourself! If I can do this anyone can. I didn’t graduate from a University and I didn’t bring business experience to writing. I focused on my strengths – writing quickly and from the heart. I didn’t dwell on what I wasn’t.
Also, be yourself. Tell the stories that have your unique perspective. No one else has that. It’s your asset.
How do you deal with negative reviews?
I don’t read reviews. Who has time for haters anyways?!
How do you build relationships with your readers?
The best way to build a relationship with my readers is by meeting their expectations. Solid stories, released often, that are dirty and romantic and have lots of feels. Yes, FB is a good place to find some readers but my focus is writing stories I know they will love.
How do you build relationships with other authors?
I tell readers about their new releases and congratulate them on a new release. I try to be as positive and open as possible to new opportunities. That outlook has allowed me to meet authors in an organic way. Don’t force yourself into someone’s life, I guess, but be open to new friendships!
What are your plans for future books?
I have a new series, The Men of Whiskey Mountain. They are full length books and a bit of a nod to my favorite novel I’ve written, Timber. It’s a bit filthier than some of my recent release, lol. #yesplease
I’m also going to publish a domestic suspense novel in January under my maiden name! I’m very excited for that.
Is there any other advice you would like to give?
Life is so precious. Call your sister instead of reading reviews. Take a walk with your daughter instead of hating on yourself for shitty sales. Bake yourself a cake when you feel like you’re at a crossroads with your career. Celebrate that because it means you are growing as a person. And girl, who you are as a person matters so much more than what books you write and what stories you tell.
Now, Frankie Love has also co authored many books. I wanted to get her perspective on that – so here are questions and answers about co authoring.
How do you find an author to co author with?
I met my co-author on a writing forum!
How do you know you will be a good fit?
We have lots in common – motherhood and marriage. But also, we are very different. We took a strength finder test once and 3 of our strengths were the same, but the other two were each one another’s biggest weaknesses. So we are very compatible.
How do you write your books together? What’s the process?
Something like this…We jump on a video call and have a shared google doc open. We brainstorm ideas and write everything down … and I mean everything. At one point we were planning a 30 book series set in space. LOL. So yeah – we brainstorm until we have a concept we are excited about and then we outline the entire thing, if it’s a series we outline the whole series chapter by chapter.
How do you divide the work?
We make a weekly word count goal and then we jump on and off the document all week. We don’t alternate chapters or anything. I could stop my work day mid-sentence and she would jump on the next morning finishing my thought. However, she writes more of the action and I do all of the anal. LOL.
How do you handle it if you have a disagreement with your co author?
I mean it when I say we don’t have disagreements. I trust her ideas with all my heart and believe she feels the same. It’s a partnership and that means we hear one another out. We want the best for one another and that plays into all our decisions.
How do you handle royalties, taxes, etc?
We alternate who publishes a title.
What’s the best thing about co-authoring?
Having someone “in it” with me. Writing is such an isolating job and having a friend I can call when I’m feeling low – who understands my stories at a deep level, is such a gift. <3
What tips do you have for authors that are just getting started in coauthoring?
Make sure the person you are partnering with vibes with you. Also don’t be too precious about your ideas – flexibility and an open-minded approach to projects is vital for it to work.
Anything else you want to add?
Thanks for the interview and I hope it helps encourage someone!!
Xoxo
Do you want to learn more about Frankie Love? Find her here:
Facebook
Instagram
Goodreads
Pinterest
Amazon
Join my Fan Group
by Hope Ford | Oct 9, 2019 | Motivation, Resources, Writers Blog
Take 4 – Answers to Your Questions
Today I’m answering more questions I received.
How do you balance your family life and writing life?
Well, I am very fortunate that I now write full time. It makes it a lot easier to balance my family life and my writing life. I write when my kids are at school or practice and my husband is at work. It also helps that my kids are teenagers.
When I worked a full time job, it was really hard for me to focus on writing. My family comes first. Then I was working full time. Then I was writing. I wrote mostly in the early mornings or in the evenings. And I will be honest with you, it was hard to balance. I would be writing in the evenings instead of spending a lot of time with my kids. However, they understood. I think there’s phases where if you are building something, no matter what kind of business, you have to put the work in. And sometimes that takes away from family life. However, I made a point that if I was spending time with my kids, I was 100% committed to it. No phones, no emails. I just hung out with them. I think if you want something, there has to be a little give and take.
I noticed several of your books from early 2018 are in Erotica. Were they always? Do you think that helped your visibility? Most authors complain about the ‘Erotica dungeon’, but you catapulted to success so quickly, it seems contrary to what everyone else says.
Yes. The books that are still in erotica have always been there. They are there because of keywords I used or words I used in the title. I am going to tell you my thoughts on my ‘erotica’ books and my opinions on it, but please remember it may not be the same for everyone.
I’m going to use my book, Mine: Alpha Male, Virgin Female Steamy Sweet Romance, as an example. It is in the erotica category. It is in the erotica category because of the subtitle of the book. Which I could probably fix, I just haven’t yet. However, it is also one of my lowest performing books.
So here’s where we get to my opinion. I believe this book does not perform as well because it is in the erotica category but does not have erotica content. There are some sex scenes in the story, but primarily it is a love story. I’m sure if people are looking for an erotic book, they would be disappointed with this book.
So, in my opinion I do not feel that it helped catapult my writing. However, that’s just me though. It may be different for someone else.
Is having a blog or a Facebook page really needed for authors? Doesn’t it kind of cut into writing time?
I do not keep up with my author blog. It’s a goal of mine. But I haven’t done really well with it.
I do recommend a Facebook Page, or even better a Facebook Group. I wrote more on this last week – Check it out here: Answers to your questions Take 3
So, you have two options really.
1- If you have time to write (first priority), then start a FB page or Group and post when you can.
2 – If you don’t have time to write and it stresses you out to add a FB Page or Group, then wait on it. Writing is the most important aspect of all this.
If you were not making any money at all, would you still write and publish your stories?
Good question. I wish I could say ‘absolutely.’ But that’s not realistic. I love to write, share my stories, and get to know my readers. If I was not making money, then I assume I would not have any readers either. They are sort of what keeps me going. They motivate me like nothing else. 🙂 So even though I want to say yes, I would still write. I can’t.
What is the biggest mistake you have made since you started your publishing journey?
Probably my biggest mistake is putting my book up with the wrong title. I put a second book in a series up with the first books title. You want to talk about stressed out. I worried myself to death about it. Since it was in review, Amazon couldn’t help. They told me I would have to wait to fix it until it was either Live or not approved to publish and put back in draft. I hoped they would just not approve it, but they did. It was pretty anticlimactic though. It went live. I immediately fixed it and then didn’t promote it until it was live again.
At the time, this was a huge deal to me and I was so upset. Now, I realize it really wasn’t. I’ve learned to pay better attention when posting a book and also to not stress the small stuff.
Have you ever considered writing in a different genre besides Romance? What would it be?
I have considered writing some more nonfiction.
However, for fiction, I will probably only write romance. That’s all I read, so it makes sense I would stick with that.
Thank you for all the questions. If you have one you would like to ask, please click HERE and enter it.
