Doing The Right Thing...

Over the last few days one of my friends has been having an interesting time with a National television programme. 

My friend is a Wild Foods blogger. She writes about and is interviewed for her expertise in harvesting and preparing wild food. The television programme in question was using her recipe in a cooking demonstration on the show and attributing them to their guest celebrities on the programmes website. Unfortunately they weren’t acknowledging her in any way or the other chefs whose recipes were taken and appropriated by the show.

If you post things on the internet you take the risk of having someone like it so much they use it and claim it as their own. This is plagiarism. For some scummy people it is fair game and the amount of website content that is stolen and repackaged as eBooks is frightening.  Be careful about the eBooks you buy. The best thing you can do on your websites is to say copyright on your content somewhere on the front page or to use a creative commons licence. A Creative Commons license means people can use your work (but not make money off it) so long as they attribute it to you. There are various licenses that you can use. Check out this cool video that tells you all about it.

My friend received a sort of an apology this morning from the TV show. What her friends were wondering on Face Book was How come the TV Network can have teams of lawyers looking out for any breach of copyright on their own behalf but can allow their programmes to not offer the same courtesy back. 

Acknowledgement takes only a moment and shows that you are a fair person and a responsible internet user.

Cory Doctorow has a great post on donations to creative people as a direct interface between reader and writer. He is documenting his self pubbed ebook, ‘With A Little Help,’ experiment through his blog and Publishers Weekly column. ‘Pay The Creator You Love’ is the catch phrase and Cory is all for it.

Bubblecow have a great post on Seven Publishing Companies who have embraced ebook and ebook marketing in creative ways. They are respecting their authors and the creative content.

Google have been rolling out their Google plus site. This is direct competition to Facebook. Greg Pincus checks out what Google has to offer for authors with Google plus. Lets be careful out there.

In the Craft Corner

I read a lot. It is called research. (hehehe) At tax time I get to count up all the books I have bought for research purposes and wince a little. I try to be careful in what I buy, after all I might be called upon to explain to the taxman why I claimed it on my tax return. Yesterday a package of books arrived for me from the wonderful Book Depository (they have free delivery and to NZ that is a Godsend.) In the pack was a book (which I can’t get here easily) by my favourite midgrade author Gordon Korman. Last night I devoured it and started it all over again today. Why am I telling you this? Gordon has a great handle on voice and first lines and I just happen to have links to great posts on these.

I was thirteen the first time I saw a police officer up close. He was arresting me for driving without a license. At the time, I didn't even know what a license was. I wasn't too clear on what being arrested meant either. Schooled by Gordon Korman

Check out First lines by The Writers Alley and Tips on Discovering Your Characters Voice from the wonderful Bookshelf Muse Team.

Cheryl Reif has a good post on Ten Ways To Craft A Sense Of Place

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

The Art Of Being Different- Justine Musk is an inspiration.

6 Ways To Improve Face Book Fan Pages

The 7 Ways To Improve Viral Videos

To Finish,

Tony Eldridge has posted a few gems on his blog this week. First he talks about the impact Dean Wesley Smiths Brilliant idea (which I have blogged about and if you haven’t read it Do So Now) has been on the marketing of his book and second he has a link to great freebies for authors to check out...

enjoy,

maureen

pic from here

Gate Keepers And Their Shiny New Keys...

The Gate Keepers jobs are changing.

The big news in the writing blogosphere this week is Agents Becoming Publishers. From a few testing out the brave new world of ebook publishing (see a previous blog post of mine) a couple of months ago, this week more agents are jumping into the publishing water. 

What does this mean for writers? 

Unscrupulous agents can take their 15% as agent and pass you on to their publishing arm which may take 50% as the publisher.  A few agents are renting their services out for flat fees. A writer must weigh up very carefully the pros and cons of traditional agent services and ‘new’ agent services....

Anne R Allen has written an excellent blog post looking at the new moves from the agents and weighing up the advantages for the writer. Writer Beware has a blog post examining the ethical issues surrounding the ‘new agency’ model. Elisabeth S Craig has a good post on why she is still keeping her agent under the traditional model. 

If you are in the market for an agent or thinking it may be a good idea in the future, read these and be aware of how agencies are changing in this brave new world.

Another big move this week was the launch of Pottermore, JK Rowling’s new website, ebook publisher, storefront and fan club all rolled into one site. Phyllis Miller comments upon the changes that the launch of Pottermore might have on the ebook marketplace...especially the ditching of DRM (Digital Rights Management) on the Potter ebooks. Publishers Weekly is taking a ho hum approach while commenting on how rare it is that a writer still has ebook rights...

If you have a successful brand, and J K Rowling does, why not look at what merchandising opportunities you can get out of it. You are a business after all. You have created the characters and the world etc etc...a range of clothing, mugs and stationary can be sold exclusively from your website. One of my favourite authors Jasper Fforde (NYT describes him as Harry Potter for grown ups) is doing it and if it is Ok for an Adult Writer to do it...surely a Children’s Writer can do it.

Joe Konrath has a great post on how to make your ebooks another storefront for your work. Put the blurb on the front cover...such simple advice.... Anne Allen has a post on the new trend of using ebooks as queries, and the reverse, Agents looking to rep successful ebook writers...sticky sticky.

In the craft corner,

The League Of Extraordinary Writers has a great post on Dystopian Rites of Passage.

Bob Mayer has taken a good look at great plot. You must get Primal!

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

5 Things More Important Than Talent- this is a great post...lots of comment on this.

Ten Terrifying Questions For Authors...how do the great and the good do it?

The Art Of Being Different-Justine Musk. Justine writes a wonderful blog and this article is a great self affirming read...because all of us writers are quirky and interesting, aren’t we?  

To finish,

I was having an email chat with Dylan Owen of The National Library of New Zealand (Children’s Collection) about being on a panel addressing the topic of whether storytelling was dead.(upcoming AGM of WCBA) 

In the conversation I referred to a problem I have been mulling over lately, the fact that traditional gate keepers seem to be reluctant to get involved in children’s ebook reviewing. Dylan was able to give me some hot off the press news. School Library Journal has started a new review blog looking at apps for children and Dylan was about to extend the School Library Service, Create Readers blog that reviews books to include ebooks...

So the Gate Keepers have some new hats to try on and some new shiny keys to play with...

maureen

pic The gates of Graceland.

Promote Inspiration....

This week the FaBo team were thrilled when we received an email from an ecstatic teacher telling us how the first week’s challenge had inspired the whole school.

All the senior classes and most of the middle school are doing it for writing now and hopefully they will all enter.  My breaktime FaBo group has stopped because they are all doing it in class.  Teachers have been using what they wrote in the in staff meeting as models for their children...  A couple of classes have been planning menus for your hamburger competition.  When I was on lunch duty today I could hear kids talking about Sher Lock while they were eating and a group of kids were in the library redrafting their stories at lunchtime.  I have put together a group of gifted and talented senior children to work with and have been given 90minutes release time a fortnight to do it.  I have never seen the staff so excited about writing! 

It is great to receive such positive feedback and to know that in our small way we have made an impact. 

Actually all the FaBo team did a happy dance and we have silly grin’s on our faces. Any author will tell you that an enthusiastic response from a reader (especially kids coz they are tough critics) is worth the sleepless nights and the hair pulling when we were crafting the story.

FaBo is an interesting experiment for us all. It is a chance to directly engage with the kids who read our books and stretch ourselves at the same time. We are learning about group blogging and marketing and the ‘keep at it, the rewards will come’ style of putting something new out there. (it’s a bit like writing really. It gets better.)  It is inspiring and challenging and fabbo. (sorry team couldn’t resist.)

Elizabeth Spann Craig has a guest post on Spunk On A Stick about promotion traditional and 21st century style. There are some good tips here so take a look.

How many books should you have written before you think of indie publishing? What kind of benchmarks do you need? Bob Mayer has written another thought provoking post which has generated much comment in the writing blogosphere.

Seth Godin’s Domino project has had a lot of attention in the past few months but this link is in the Holy Wow category. Seth links to Jenny Blake’s Spreadsheet for Book Promotion. It is a jaw dropping one stop shop from planning the cover to the book tour and everything in between. Click on the links and be amazed.

Jody Hedlund has taken the 'steady as she goes,' way to work out how much time you should spend  marketing your book.

Justine Musk has a brilliant post on the necessity to market yourself and how to keep your brand consistent. Are there lines and logos that you regularly use? (Hmm spot mine which I didn’t realise until I read Justine’s Post.)

In the craft corner,

What can Star Trek teach us about great writing. This is a comprehensive look at storytelling in the J J Abrams style.

Following on from last week... here is a link to creating QR Codes.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles about

When Women Write Male Charaters

Would You Apply For This Job?.....( great job, pity about the pay.)

Thinking About Publishing On A Kindle....

On a new job note...The wonderful Storytime bookshop is for sale! (if you always wanted a specialist children’s bookshop...) We all hope the new owner will be just as great as Malcolm.

Chris Guillebeau writes one of the most inspiring blogs out there. I am a regular reader. This week he has written a great post about making money online. Many of his thousands of followers think it will rank in the all time top ten...what do you think?  

To finish,

When you get bunches of Children’s Writers and Illustrators together something wonderful always happens...From FaBo and the wacky writing challenge to our Inspiring Colleagues promoting this great message in the following video.

It Get’s Better!

enjoy,

maureen

The 12 Links of Christmas...

School is out today and I’m eating juicy summer strawberries trying not to look at my very very long 'To Do' list that has to be done before we head away for the Christmas holidays on Sunday. 

No rest for the wicked...so they say...I think ‘they’ have got it wrong coz I’ve been good all year...honestly!

Looking back over the year online...I expanded my online presence....

I joined Facebook on a Tuesday and two days later got swept up into the amazing  FaBo Story Project. I had a blast with my fellow writers as we developed a children’s online story. I was in awe of the kids who chose to get involved and am looking forward to FaBo 2...which has started, and will ramp up into another way out story next year. The first chapter being written by our winning child author. (Can’t really call him a child author he writes absolutely wonderfully-check out the final winning chapter.)

Twitter has taken over as my first Go To Research Tool. I am constantly amazed at how much people use twitter in real time emergency situations. I was following some of the up to the minute requests on twitter from the rescuers at the Pike River Mine. I knew that it was a powerful resource when my husband came back from the office saying that one of his colleagues had started a twitter English Spanish translation service for the worldwide aid community to deal with the huge aid requests coming out of Haiti last year. It would be interesting to know how quickly Kiwis have taken up tweeting.

On my blog, the search box has got a work out and Craicerplus (my Amplify page) has got its own followers. 

I was surprised and touched to find so many of you take the time to read my weekly blog post when I discovered that I was closing in on my 2000th reader this year. That is quite staggering when you think about it....Thank you everyone!  And a big THANK YOU to all those who took the time to comment on the blog or started Facebook discussions about what interested you.

So onwards to this weeks interesting links.

Seth Godin is about to turn publishing on its head, again, with the launch of The Domino Project. As one of the biggest influencers on the web, where Seth goes today, will be the norm by this time next year....

Scholastic issued their top ten trends in Children’s writing this year and many commentators are lining their own lists up and comparing them. Things we know...paranormal is still huge...things we should be aware of, Humour is coming back....was it ever away???

Larry Brooks (yes he is that Larry Brooks) has a great post on his Storyfix website. 8 moments you absolutely need to deliver to your readers and 1 that you should hope for.

Joanna Penn has reposted her article on 22 websites every author must use.

Justine Musk has a great article on the secret ingredient to a strong author platform.

For all the small business owners who read the blog...(writers, that’s you too) Marketing Experiments Blog has a great article on Facebook marketing...when you read it, substitute the word facebook for website and the same things apply. Great Advice!

If you are looking for a great Christmas present, Don Miller has listed the 7 best books to read, to make you a better writer. I have read (or own) most of the list. I would add two more... Story by Robert McKee and How To Tell A Story, by Gary Provost and Peter Rubie.

The amazing Kidlit.com has a great post for all the author/illustrators out there...How agents rep author/illustrators.

Over on Craicerplus ( my Amplify page.) I have links to articles on

Get Your Opinions Off My Stuff -Why Not All Critique Is Equal...(excellent rant!)

The Worst Mistake A Writer Can Make....(good advice)

Facebook Tips For Writers...(read with pinch of salt)

10 Tasty iPad Apps For Writers

6 Questions NOT to Ask A Writer

The Pie In The Face Writing Method.

And now we come to the link presents...

The Twelve Days Of Christmas For Writers and Famous Inboxes. (my geek self loved Captain Kirks inbox but Elizabeth Bennets is the best!!)

and the Christmas video...

enjoy,
maureen

P.S. I will be back in the New Year...You can catch up with me on facebook and twitter and Craicerplus....as I will drop in from time to time with interesting links.
pic is Pukeko In A Ponga Tree by Kingi Ihaka. Illustrated by the great Dick Frizzell

Oh to be a Rockstar...

Yesterday the New Zealand Children’s Literature community heard the wonderful news that there will be a new award for Illustrators. 

Ann Mallinson in conjunction with the Arts Foundation is sponsoring a $10,000 prize to be awarded every two years to a deserving illustrator. What a wonderful woman Ann Mallinson is!

In the roundup today of interesting links for you all I couldn’t resist sharing this insightful post from Janet Reid (agent) How to Find Out If Your Agent Is An Idiot....(Let’s be careful out there.)

Laurie Ryan has been posting an excellent series for writers on using Excell.  This week she is looking at setting up programmes to help research Editors and Agents. Take a look and trawl back through her other posts on submission tracking and manuscript construction.

Daily Writing tips have a post looking at the High Concept. If you have always wondered about this term go and take a look...who knows you might have a Jaws on your hands.

 If you are thinking over the summer that you would like to revamp your website...take a look at Author Tech Tips. They have just posted 7 Tips for Amazing Author Websites.

Media Bistro has taken a close look at what publishers and authors can learn from Indie Rock stars...This is very interesting. (yes, you too can be a rock star...)

Jonathan Field posted an article on his blog about viral serendipity and how to use it on your blog. Justine Musk is looking at the two sides of marketing and who actually buys your books. These are both very good articles on the business of being in business as a writer.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

Hope And The Aspiring Writer

Your Writing May Be Good But...(good advice from an agent)

Advice To The Writer (great quotes from Great writers lol ...would make good Christmas greetings for the 

crafty amongst us.)

Also on a Christmas theme....16 drinks Named For Authors and Their Books. (Try only if you want to have some of the same out of head experiences....)

 We are now into the Christmas round up season.

Mike Shatzkin has been looking at the most dramatic event to hit publishing this year ...and No It wasn’t the iPad.

Next week, School is out and life will get more chaotic than it is at the moment...Hopefully I will get another Blog in before Christmas....

enjoy,

maureen

P.S.

Apologies for being late in posting. The Wellington Children's Book Association Annual Children's Literature Christmas Quiz was so good last night that I fell into bed instead of posting my weekly blog article. The National Librarians scrambled to the fore in a very close contest!

Fantastic to see Dylan Owen back on his feet and as sharp as ever as Quiz Maestro...What a tricky mind that guy has....

pic is the New Zealand  Illustrators  current Rock Star - - Ann Mallinson

And the winner is....

Congratulations Dear Reader, You have become the 2000th visitor to my Blog this year. 

I hope that you have enjoyed popping in and checking out the links. I have been thinking of you as I research the web each week looking for tidbits you may like....

In your honour I have compiled a funny set of writing related links for you as we need a pick me up before the silly season gets sillier and for the Kiwis we need a dose of good cheer after the last week of tragedy.

So First Up.

Nathan Bransford posted an article about the Nine Circles of Hell for writers. This is a laugh and wince because it is a true look at the writer and their attempts to write a novel....(This is especially for all those writers struggling with relationship issues to their current WIP)

Next Up.

For all those writers who having finished NaNoWrMo have now entered NaNoEdMo (December being editing that novel you wrote in November....)

Yes even multitalented award winning writers get sent the Editorial Letter.

John Gilstrap shares his letter with comments about improvements that could be made to his current WIP. This is a great look at professionalism from the editor and a timely reminder to the writer that there is always something to work on.

For those of you who pop in to Craicer looking for information on websites, blogging and marketing tips.... 

Joanna Penn has an excellent interview with Justine Musk (Tribal Writer) on Blogging and authenticity. Joanna has the podcast, the video and the notes of this great interview on her site. Take the time to have a good look at what Joanna is doing....This is the future.

A timely reminder to those of you who are regular users of Social Media as part of your business.(That's all of us, writing being a business.) Do not fall into the trap of lifting articles from the web and publishing them in your magazine. Here is the latest morality tale for you about an arrogant editor and the writers revenge...

Now that you are feeling good and are patting yourself on the back, you may find that it is time to give yourself a challenge. 

Writeitsideways has the writing makeover challenge for you. 31 days to change your writing habits...take it only if your habits need changing.....Goodness knows mine do.

There is a brand new publisher coming Down Under. They specialise in Children’s Books and Apps...with a name like Nosy Crow who wouldn’t love them already...Check out Beatties Blog for more info on this opportunity.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) there are links to Articles on  

How To Nurture Your Creativity...this is The Blogging 101 article.

20 Obsolete English Words That Should Make A Comeback...especially good if you are writing an historical 

masterpiece.

Also for those people who love historical novels check out this funny video link at Smart Bitches Trashy Books  Friday Video...(No it is not what it seems...Go and check out the site and have a laugh.)

J K Rowling Shouldn’t Write Any More Harry Potter Books (Harry and the Midlife Crisis...)

The Art Of Pitching.....This is chock full of tips!

And So Back we come to The Craicer Blog where I leave you with my most up to date link and the funniest video I have seen in a while...

Kristin of Warrior Writer has become one of ‘those must stop by’ links. Today she has a great article on being professional....Go read it because everyone reading this blog is professional and committed to their passions...(ok we’re not rich in pocket but we are rich in soul...)

Thanks for popping in over the year,

Enjoy the video,

maureen

Don't Forget The WCBA Annual Christmas Quiz is on December 9th

Going Up...

This week the country waited with baited breath to find out if The Hobbit will be filmed here. 

YES IT WILL. 

Wellington is a small city chock full of creative people. Everybody knows somebody who worked on Lord Of The Rings...or a Peter Jackson movie, or a WETA production so the uncertainty has had Wellington particularly on a knife edge lately. Wellington is a happier place this morning.

With the speed of time, (why does it always feel faster as we get towards the end of the year) November is just around the corner and for those of you who are thinking about NaNoWriMo (writing a novel in a month) and throwing up your hands...here is a link to writing a novel in three days. The secret is all in the planning.

Publishing Perspectives has an article up on Online Writing Communities. Chris Vannozzi has co founded a website that puts you in touch with other writers to form critique groups etc. Chris thinks this model is much better than going back to Uni and doing a creative writing programme...Have a read and tell me what you think....

Rachelle Gardner has a plea to writers to understand their business...that writing is a business and she has a list of books in her article to help you with this notion. As always I urge you to read the comments...because there are some additions to her list and some good advice in there.

Justine Musk has written the second part of her series on multiple revenue streams for writers. This is a comprehensive article on where writers can develop their niche expertise and also how writers can think outside of the small box. It is a good jumping off point to think about who you are, who does your audience perceive you as and how can you help your audience to fund you directly...(a nice little lead in to...)

Mike Shatzkin.

By now regular readers will know that I am very interested in where publishing is going in the future and what the impact will be for writers. Mike is a publishing futurist. He also has the publishing street cred and his last years predictions for publishing into the future are coming true...The speed of change is almost at lightspeed. Today Mike is commenting on the pick up by Hollywood of vertical  publishing. Mike was warning publishers at the beginning of the year that they would have to look at moving towards vertical publishing.

For the average writer tho, a look at this article on 6 Things Your Website Should Tell Book Reviewers About You And Your Book is a timely link to vertical publishing individually. (add a cafe press store for merchandise and ebooks and you are there really...)  

Over On CraicerPlus ( My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

Plagiarism...Writer Beware

Kindle Singles...Short fiction for ebooks

Top 5 Free ebooks For Writers (Check this out...some of these writers I have referred to in this blog they are 

GOOD.)

Mashing Up Children’s Books With Monsters (Dick and Jane and the Vampire....)

How To Write One Page Per Day

The Ultimate Retro Laptop

Five Ways To Make Your Novel Inescapable...(the great Victoria strikes again)

On Launching an Online Community and Micro Publisher from Scratch...(and the lessons herein)

This week Janet Reid posted a screenshot of a 1925 movie companies 17 reasons why a screenplay was not accepted...imagine getting this in the post.

Of course you have to write something....

 (guilty)
enjoy,
maureen

pic is from popupcity

Socially Speaking....

Social Media...say what? You don’t waste time on that stuff do you?

Sometimes there is a fine line between wasting time and working on growing your brand, marketing in other words.

There have been lots of posts by respected industry professionals recently that highlight the fact that authors need to be google searchable. They must have a web presence and be active in the web community even before you have a book out. This shows potential editors and agents that the author understands that the web is a vital part of the marketing arsenal. If you are an established author it is a given that you will have a web presence for you and the book.Social Media sites makes you web searchable, this can help with branding and contribute to making you a better bet to publish. 

If you are going to be active in Social Media you need to set goals and limits for yourself. (What is best for you? How much time should you put into it...)

What is your core business, networking or writing? If you are networking all the time, chances are you aren’t writing. And if you are always intending to get around to Social Media or are unsure whether it is even relevant for you, chances are you are not networking or growing your brand.

So what is Social Media and where do you start?

Social Media is Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ping, Digg....Yup it is seemingly endless.

T K Richardson has an interesting series on her blog looking at marketing, social media and time. She has a quick roundup of ways authors can use Social Media.

Nathan Bransford asked the question, Social Networking- Does it really work in selling books? His forum community waded in on the topic and there is a great for and against debate going on. In the end as one commentator said ‘It is the strength of the story which sells the book.’ Using Social Media with only the intention to sell books and not participate in the community is just spamming.

Jody Hedlund has the most comprehensive round up of pros and cons on using Social Media. Jody’s blog is always worth the read and her debut book is racing up the charts. She has a loyal and savvy group of followers so that hasn’t hurt either.

Jane Friedman has been picked up by Cincinnati University to teach Digital Media. She was interviewed this week by Dan Blank about How Digital Media Can Empower Writers. This is a thirty minute skype interview so grab a coffee and sit back. Jane does know of what she speaks being an extremely popular blogger and editor with Writers Digest.

Justine Musk this week talked about technology and how it is changing the way people will see books in the future and the writers brand.

Bob Mayer has taken his Who Dares Wins philosophy a bit further and established his own publishing company. Go and have a look at his rules for engagement and why he decided to take his brand of writing and popular workshops into another sphere. (Hint Digital Media played a huge part in all the possibilities.)

Rachel Gardner has given everyone a wakeup call about what happens around the acquisitions table. Are You Brave Enough To Find Out? Some of her regular readers were not....

On Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

Victoria Moxon - Interview. (This is a fabulous article. All Victoria’s advice is worth its weight in gold!)

John Steinbeck’s Advice For Beginning Writers.

The Fifty Best Author Vs Author Put Downs Of All Time. (ouch)

What Star Trek Can Teach Us About Writing...(very very good grasshopper...yes I know I mixed my genres.)

Marketing Tips For Author-Niche Marketing...(echo’s of a recent blog)

As you can tell I use Social Media. You are already reading this blog. I use Twitter primarily as a resource tool to get great links for you to read. I retweet some and Amplify others. My Amplify links get directed to Facebook and Twitter. Each of these Social Media groups have their own followers. I try not to spend more than four hours a week on research, networking and being social...The benefits tho are The FaBo Project put together with Facebook writers. Up to date knowledge of cutting edge news (UK Penguin and open submissions) some fine reading and great friends met over the blogosphere (waves to friends...my there are a lot of you...)

Questions and comments about using Social Media are welcomed...dip your toe in and comment....

enjoy

maureen