Writing & Publishing Archives - Page 19 of 28 - Sonia Marsh

Why I self-published by Ali Luke

December 8, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

This is a Guest post by Ali Luke from Aliventures.

Imagine my surprise when Ali Luke, a writing coach who has been featured on some of the biggest online blogs like Copyblogger and ProBlogger, and who recently spoke at Blogworld, the world’s largest social media conference, decided to send me her “My Gutsy Story.” Since Ali is a writing coach, I thought it would be helpful for writers looking to publish their work to see how Ali Luke took the plunge to indie-publish her first novel and why.

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My Gutsy Story: Publishing My First Novel

In November 2011, I released my first novel, Lycopolis.

It took a lot of time.

I spent a year drafting. And another year re-drafting. And then I edited – again and again. Along the way, I cut out tens of thousands of words.

It took a lot of money.

I wrote the bulk of the novel while studying for a part-time Masters in Creative Writing (not cheap)! I paid a wonderful professional editor to go through the whole Draft 5 manuscript. I took day courses, went to conferences, bought writing books.

Most of all, it took a lot of courage.

I put more of myself into Lycopolis than I’ve ever put into any piece of writing. I shared my work with tutors and fellow students. I wrote and rewrote and polished and gave it my very best.

Why I Self-Published

For a long time, I’d clung to an old writing dream. If you’re a writer too, it might be one that you share. I wanted to get an agent, sign a book deal, and write novels for a living – all day, every day.

The problem is, that dream started to look more and more unrealistic.

Publishing is undergoing the biggest upheaval since Gutenberg. With ebooks – and Amazon’s dominance over traditional book stores – things have been changing fast.

More and more authors are deciding to go it alone. There are plenty of good reasons why:

You’ve got full control over the finished product. I’ve seen some shocking badly formatted ebooks from big publishers who should know better – and I didn’t want to risk that happening to mine.
You get to keep considerably more of the money. Most published authors don’t make a living through writing. At 10 – 15 % per book, they’re not the ones getting rich from their hard work.
You can publish something that’s from your heart, not what’s expected to sell. If you’re writing in an unpopular genre (or across genres) then self-publishing means you can produce the book you want, not what publishers can easily pigeon-hole.

I’m no stranger to putting my writing out there. I’ve been blogging for several years – you can find my work on dozens of different websites. But publishing a novel took a lot of guts.

I thought my established readership might not like it. My blogging is pretty upbeat; Lycopolis is quite dark. (Lots of people have said they enjoyed it, and that it was still “me”!)

I worried what friends and family would think. (The ones who’ve read it so far have been enthusiastic.)

I was afraid that the reviews wouldn’t be good: that my novel would be too thoughtful for genre fans and too fast-paced for literary fiction aficionados. (I’ve had great reviews from genre readers and literary readers.)

All of my fears were ungrounded. But I could so easily have let them stop me.

If you’ve been working on a project close to your heart, don’t be afraid to let the world see. I know it takes courage. But if you don’t go forwards, you’ll never know who you might touch, who’s life you might impact.

Ali Luke is the author of Lycopolis, a supernatural-thriller/contemporary-fantasy with a good dose of geekery thrown in. You can find out all about it at www.lycopolis.co.uk (and download the first five chapters as a free sample).

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Ali Luke is a writer and writing coach, with degrees in English Literature and Creative Writing. Her work can be found on a number of large websites, including Copyblogger, ProBlogger, Men with Pens and Write to Done. She’s spoken at BlogWorld and OxonDigital, and works with individuals and groups of writers. You can get several of her short ebooks for free (including the popular How to Find Time for Your Writing) when you join her newsletter. Her novel, Lycopolis, is available on Amazon.

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Please leave your questions and comments for Ali below. Also I noticed Ali is offering a special price on all 3 of her Blogger’s Guides until December 12th. You may want to check them out on her Aliventures website.

“My Gutsy Story” by Muriel Demarcus

December 5, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

My Gutsy Story

By background, I am an Engineer. I used to be able drive trains and my specialty was Signalling (you know, the stuff that always fails on the railways). I have walked down the tracks while new trains were being tested (scary) and opened new metro lines in Paris. I have also investigated train accidents and tried to re-calculate speed profiles using complicated modeling tools to understand what had gone wrong. I am French-born, and it is fair to say that until recently I was a pure French product: I had been to the right schools and universities, and was pretty much brought up to climb the corporate ladder. Oh, and I could barely speak English -let alone write it, because German was my first foreign language (don’t ask, it is a French thing).

But, in 2004, I had to go out of my comfort zone: to cut a long story short, my husband was offered a job in London. Basically, I had two options: change husband, or change job. I chose the latter, which meant that I had to drop my much-loved job (an important part of my identity!) and find something else, in London this time. My industry works a lot by word of mouth and I eventually managed to find something else, less interesting of course, but somehow I felt that I couldn’t be too picky, given that my English was so basic…

Soon enough, I felt that I was wasting my time and my talents. I felt trapped. As a woman with a French accent, I wasn’t being taken seriously at all. I have lost count of the “Do I know you from somewhere?” comments. My notes were constantly edited to make them “Oxbridge-compliant” (I am used to working in bullet points, but it wasn’t doing the trick over here!). So, after a while, I decided to start my own business in parallel. It was about the development and management of commercial properties, mainly to maintain and store boats –I just saw an opportunity and grabbed it when I bought some cheap land close to the coast.

Eventually, my business started to make more money than my day job. It was time to change my priorities. My boring but comfortable job was holding me back. I didn’t like it any more. Still, finding the strength to resign was more difficult than I thought: most people wait patiently for a nice redundancy package, but that was not my mindset, and I knew that the extra-time spend on my business would bring me new clients anyway. After months of procrastination, I finally resigned and left. Most of my colleagues didn’t understand why I didn’t wait to get some more money.

What I love about my business is that it gives me the time and flexibility to take care of my family and explore other side of my personality, such as writing.

I started my blog (www.FrenchYummyMummy.com) as a new year’s resolution. It became addictive. After a few weeks I had more than 4,000 hits a month. I couldn’t believe that my thoughts and worries could be of any interest. I was clearly wrong.

It felt good.

I am now writing as much as I can, with a view -who knows?- to publish a book one day. It is all about explaining how it feels to be French amongst the British. But more importantly, I feel more like myself. I am finally designing my life around what matters to me. I know it is better late than never. But, after years of always doing what was expected from me, I am slowly starting to become what I want to be. Oh, and I am learning to drive boats now!

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Muriel Demarcus is a self-proclaimed French Yummy Mummy living in London. She started working in Paris in the Railways industry and never imagined that she would have to move abroad.
At 32 years, she discovered that life outside of France was possible and even enjoyable when all the family had to move to London due to her husband’s new job. It was 7 years ago and since then she doesn’t feel French any more and isn’t British yet.

Muriel and her two lovely daughters

Her two daughters have now started to correct her bad English accent, which she hates. In 2011, she decided to start a blog and hasn’t looked back since. She can be found at www.FrenchYummyMummy.com or @FrenchYumMummy on Twitter.

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Our First Story for the December “My Gutsy Story” Contest

Thank you Muriel. What a great story about getting out of your comfort zone and adapting to a new life in the U.K. Not only that, but you started your own company, taught yourself English, and started your successful blog French Yummy Mummy. I love reading books about Americans, Australians and British women who moved to France. One I enjoyed in particular is called, “What French Women Know,” by Debra Ollivier. So now finally, Muriel Demarcus will write a book about the reverse: A French woman living in the U.K. It is all about explaining how it feels to be French amongst the British.

(Please leave your comments below for Muriel to answer. She will be over I’m sure.)

Sonia Marsh

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VOTE for your Favorite November “My Gutsy Story”

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HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN “My Gutsy Story”
To submit your own, “My Gutsy Story” you can find all the information, and our sponsors on the “My Gutsy Story” contest page. (NEW VIDEO) Submission guidelines here.

Vote for Your Favorite “My Gutsy Story”

December 1, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

From December 1st until December 13th midnight, PST, you can vote for your favorite November 2011, “My Gutsy Story.”

To VOTE, please go to the poll on the sidebar of any of the 5 “My Gutsy Story,” submissions, (not on the homepage.)

Here are the 5 stories. Only ONE vote per person.

1). Rhonda Hayes

2). Karen van Der Zee

3). Lauri Kubuitsile

4). Jill Fales

5). Nikki Ah Wong

The winner will be announced on December 14th.

Good Luck to all of you. Your stories are amazing and inspiring.

Above Photo credit

52 + 1 Chat Groups for Writers on Twitter

November 10, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

Do you like to chat? Do you feel lonely sitting on your perch?

Well, if you’re a writer, this may be your lucky day. There’s something for everyone.

Onlinecollege.org contacted me with a list they composed for writers and asked if I’d be interested in sharing their amazing list on my blog. The list is called: 52 Wonderful Chitter Chats for Writers

“There are many places for writers to find help and inspiration for every part of the writing process. One of the newest sources of support is on Twitter, through a wide variety of writing chats.”

Since I thought their list is extremely helpful, I decided to share it and to add a Gutsy twist. Our own # (hashtag) where we can discuss our #MyGutsyStory.

This is why I call the list 52 + 1

Here is a list of 52 chat groups + 1 Newly created chat group

Slow Chat: These chats don’t always have a set time or day that they meet. Writers and readers simply post to them whenever they come across something they’d like to share with the community.

#wip: WIP stands for “work in progress” and that’s just what these writers share, offering tips to make your writing better and excerpts from their own.
#iamwriting: This chat is exactly what it sounds like. Anytime writers are working, they share their progress, or lack thereof, to this hashtag chat. It can be great to motivate you to get your own writing done.

Weekly Chats: If you’re looking for a more structured chat, any of these options for writers can be a good choice.

#writechat: Writers can find a wealth of information and a thriving community through the weekly chats held at this #(hashtag). Simply head to Twitter from 3-6 p.m. EST to join in the fun.
#storychat: Share any progress you’re making (or not making) with your short stories and other writings through this weekly chat.

Not just novels: While many of the chats on Twitter are geared towards novelists, there are still plenty of options for those who prefer screenplays, memoirs, poems, and other forms of writing.

#memoirchat: Every other Wednesday at 8 p.m. EST, writers working on their memoirs can head to Twitter to engage in a thoughtful chat, offering tips, advice, and excerpts of their writing.
#journchat: Discuss issues pertinent to journalism and PR through this chat, held on Monday evenings.

Genre: These chats focus on a single genre, like sci-fi, romance, or young adult literature.

#kidlitchat: This chat is the perfect place for writers penning works for young readers to keep in touch with others in the field. The chat begins at 9 p.m. EST on Tuesdays, and topics are announced before the chat.
#romancewriter: Find others who share your love of writing romance through this hashtag.

Professional: Learn more about what it takes to work as a writer, get published, and have a successful book with some help from these professional chats.

#askagent: Have a question you want to ask a book agent? While chats often go on all week, Tuesdays provide the biggest opportunities to talk with professionals.
#publishing: Learn more about the publishing industry though this slow chat. Your newfound knowledge could just help you get your own book published.

Help and Inspiration: Whether you need some writing help or a creative spark to get you going, these chats offer a way to find it.

#writegoal: Setting goals for writing can be a very important part of actually getting a work done. Use this chat to share your goals and your successes as you move through the writing process.
#creativity: Get into your creative groove with a little help from the chat that goes on pretty continuously under this hashtag.

Did you know you can create your own chat group on Twitter? So let’s start a group for all those interested in the Monday series called: #MyGutsyStory and grow a community of writers, who would like to join and participate.

Do you use Twitter? If not why not? Need help? Ask away, and we’ll see if we can help one another.

It may take a little while to get the hang of it, but once you do, it’s a great way to find people, join groups you’re interested in and share. Any questions?

Take advantage of all the Twitter Chat groups available to you and share your writing, offer suggestions and learn from others. Join the 52+1 (#Mygutsystory)

Please remember to join the contest #MyGutsyStory. You can see guidelines here, and read about sponsors and prizes here, and see our first two stories for November’s contest, Rhonda Hayes and Karen van der Zee.

Join the “My Gutsy Story” contest and sponsor prizes

October 27, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

Every Monday, we shall feature a short story on “Gutsy Living” about something Gutsy you have done in your life that either:

Changed you.
Changed the way you think about something.
Made your life take a different direction.

You can check out all the details on the Join the “My Gutsy Story” contest page.

Starting next Monday, we shall feature the first story, so please submit before then if you wish to be considered for the November 2011 prize.

I would like to thank the following 5 sponsors who have kindly offered their services or prizes to the winner of the “My Gutsy Story” contest.

List of Sponsors and prizes for November contest.

Marla Miller has kindly offered one Free Quick Query Critique. She is the expert on Query letters whether you are seeking the attention of an agent, a publisher, a magazine editor or if you wish to offer a guest post on a large blog. She will guide you in making your query hook the reader from the start. (Marla has offered her expertise to one winner/month)

GM has been generous to offer a Chevy loan vehicle for 3-5 days for one of the winners ( a one-time prize) in the Western Region. The car will be delivered to your home if you live in Los Angeles, San Diego or San Francisco or surrounding areas.

Annabel Candy from “Get in the Hot Spot” and “Successful Blogging” is offering a free copy of her wonderful “Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps” e-book. It helped me improve my own blog.

Writer’s Digest has offered a one-year free subscription to the winner of “My Gutsy Story.” I love this magazine with so many tips for fiction and non-fiction writers. Thank you so much.

Writer's Digest cover — Writer's Digest November/December cover

Spectrum Specialties and Awards just joined on 11/2/11 with a wonderful prize: 1000 14pt business cards with UV coating, full color process, & double sided print. I am so thrilled as I know they do quality work.