deadlines Archives - K.V. Fischer

Working With Other Authors by Candee Fick

Writing is both a solitary and community activity.

On the one hand, as a Christian romance author, I spend countless hours inside my head and staring at a computer screen as me, myself, and I brainstorm plots, characters, and themes before pouring rough words onto a page and then rewriting them into some sort of logical order.

On the other hand, what good is a story if there’s no one to read it? But before sharing my words with the book-loving community of readers, I also work with my critique partner and editor, not to mention multiple other people-run businesses for graphics, cover design, marketing, advertising, and my amazing review team. What started as a solo project soon includes a much bigger group all connected through the power of the internet.

Thyme for Writers, books, journey, writer, author, novel — A BOOK IS MORE THAN A STORY

My introvert-perfect work process took on a unique element when I was invited to be a part of a multi-author boxed set releasing on Mother’s Day.

For those unfamiliar with boxed sets, they are essentially a collection of ebooks by various authors packaged together and sold as a single unit. Readers get multiple stories for one low price and can discover new-to-them authors in the process. While authors can multiply their marketing budget and social media reach by pooling their resources.

It’s a win-win situation for both authors and readers. But, working with other authors to create a boxed set is not without its challenges. So, if you’re considering working with someone else in a co-author or collection opportunity, here are a few logistical items to consider.

Like most things in life, communication is key. For us, we created a secret group in Facebook where we could hold discussions, document our decisions, add to shared files, and hold each other accountable. We also set up a shared Dropbox folder to collect the stories and graphics images. As we grew closer to the launch, weekly updates were posted with short lists of things to do.

Another thing we did very early was create a comprehensive list of tasks and internal deadlines for each step in the process. Then, team leadership naturally emerged as we discussed our prior experience and thankfully nobody had to learn a brand-new skill in order to pull this off. Some were familiar with blurb writing, formatting, and uploading to publishing platforms. Others were good at editing, regularly shared in multiple other Facebook groups, or had leads to marketing outlets. A few already had paid access to graphics programs and were able to create our cover, 3D image, and other promotional images. Every task on our list was given a “point” person.

Even with plenty of advance notice, as those internal deadlines approached, a few of the authors in the group had to bow out for various reasons leaving us with five that were ready to move forward. So, if you’re creating new stories for a set instead of recycling previous work, either have a flexible release date, build in time for “life” delays, or bring more authors onboard early to leave you with a solid group in the end.

Last—and this will make Karen’s lawyer brain squirm—were the legal and financial agreements. By bundling our stories, we were creating a single unique product and splitting the profits. The same person who uploaded the files for publication would also be the one responsible for receiving, splitting, and paying out our earnings with full transparency. In addition, by publishing “wide” to a variety of international retailers beyond Amazon, we all had to agree to restrictions about when and where we could publish our individual stories later. And while we didn’t draw up a formal contract, all of these decisions are documented within our group.

Our collection releases on Mother’s Day 2020 so while it’s too soon to know how effective our marketing efforts have been, early reviews have been very positive. And I’m sure there will be plenty of lessons to apply to the next time I participate in a collection.

Because collaborating with other authors has been an invaluable experience both personally and professionally.

———-

Love is in the Air: 5 Contemporary Christian Romances

https://books2read.com/u/3LDxaD ~ Preorder Price of .99

This collection of five brand new romances is sure to send your heart soaring. Journey from Canada to Georgia and Colorado to Paris by way of Michigan as these couples find love is in the air. All they had to do was look up.

writers, authors, resources, toolbox, encouragement, fun, romantic suspense, journey, writer’s journey, adventure, tips, direction, research, joy, funny, inspiration, thyme, time, Focus on Love — Author Candee Fick

Candee Fick is a multipublished, award-winning author. She is also the wife of a high school football coach and the mother of three children, including a daughter with a rare genetic syndrome. When not busy writing, editing, or coaching other authors, she can be found cheering on the home team at sporting events, exploring the great Colorado outdoors, indulging in dark chocolate, and savoring happily-ever-after endings through a good book.

APODS – Analysis: Answering the Tough Questions

Welcome back to APODS, one technique for reaching the elusive “The End.” Today we’re going to start our discussion of the analysis phase. As the title line says, this means answering the tough questions. Since I want to keep this relatively simple, I’ve limited myself to three questions that I think every author should answer. The first two help us identify what is special about us and our books; the last identifies barriers to reaching “The End.”

First Question

Why do you write? This first question may sound simple, but answering it may not be. Each of us has a different reason for writing. Some of us write because we need to pay the bills, others because characters have invaded our brains and won’t leave until we tell their stories. Others hear a snippet of conversation and start asking, “What happened next?” There’s no right answer and no wrong one. The key is to identify the reason you write.

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines, why write, dreams, fear, success, rejection, priorities — Why do you write?

A corollary to this question is, “Do you want to write, or do you need to write?” This is a variation on the “Is writing what you do or who you are?” question that Francine Mathews posed to attendees at the 2004 Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers conference. The difference is fundamental. Again, there are no right answers, but I will tell you that if you need to write, if writing is who you are, you’ll find it easier to reach “The End.” Simply put, if you cannot not write, if not writing leaves an empty place inside you, you’ll be more likely to persist even when it’s difficult.

Second Question

On to the next question. Why is this the book of your dreams? Don’t just let the answers bounce through your brain. Take a minute to record them. What makes this book special? What makes you want – or need – to tell this particular story? Why will your life be incomplete if you don’t finish it?

If you can’t answer the question or if your first response doesn’t ring true, I suspect you’ll have trouble finishing the book. Writing is hard work. Don’t ever doubt that. But if this truly is the book of your dreams, you’ll be able to persevere through the difficult times.

Once you’ve answered this question, save your answer. You did put it in writing, didn’t you? If you keyed it into a document, print it out and put it in a place where you’ll be able to retrieve it easily. Why? If you’re like most authors, you’ll find stumbling blocks along the road to “The End.” There will be times when you hate the book or are convinced it’s the worst prose in the English language. (For me, that happens regularly when I reach the middle of the first draft.) This is the time to pull out your answer and remind yourself why this book is special. Trust me, that little piece of paper helps.

Third Question

Our final question is, What is keeping you from finishing the book? When I’ve asked writers why they have so many unfinished manuscripts, the answers have fallen into four categories:

Not enough time
Conflicting priorities
Fear of rejection
Fear of success

Starting next month, we’ll focus on the first two. Your assignment in the meantime is to reflect on these three questions. Think – really think – about why writing and this particular book are so important to you. The answers may surprise you.

Amanda Cabot, time management, writing, publishing, books, articles, A Borrowed Dream, Cimarron Creek trilogy, fiction, non-fiction, deadlines — Amanda Cabot

Amanda Cabot is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city. Her most recent release is A Borrowed Dream, the second in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek, A Stolen Heart — A Borrowed Dream
by Amanda Cabot
Cimarron Creek Trilogy

Connect with Amanda:
www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

Getting to “The End” with Amanda Cabot

Welcome Amanda Cabot back to Thyme for Writers with the first in her series on time management and getting to “The End!” Amanda is no stranger to getting to “The End.” She juggled a sixty-hour a week job with nonnegotiable deadlines and building a house long-distance at the same time that she wrote two books a year. Whether or not she kept her sanity during that time is debatable. Amanda is the best-selling author of over thirty novels, eight novellas, four non-fiction books, and what she describes as enough technical articles to cure insomnia in a medium-sized city. Her most recent release is A Borrowed Dream, the second in the Cimarron Creek trilogy.

Getting to “The End”

Have you ever started a book, filled with enthusiasm and certain that this will become the next #1 New York Times bestseller, but somehow you never finished it?

Have you ever said, “If only I had more time, I’d write a book”?

Have you ever wondered how some writers manage to complete multiple books in a year when you still haven’t finished the book of your heart?

If you’ve answered “yes” to any of those questions, I’m here to tell you that you’re not alone. While these can hardly be classified as the great mysteries of the universe, they are questions that plague many writers.

The good news is that there are solutions to the problem of not reaching the elusive “The End.” The bad news is that the solutions are multi-faceted. While you might believe that a course in time management will solve your problem, it’s only one aspect of the solution and not even the first one to be addressed.

APODS

Over the next five months (maybe more, if I become too long-winded on any of the posts), we’re going to talk about a system I’ve given the acronym APODS. This not-so-catchy name stands for Analysis, Priorities, Organization, Discipline, and Support. (See what I mean about time management being only part of the solution?)

Let’s take a quick look at each of the five subjects.

You can’t solve a problem unless you can identify it. Remember the adage about the person whose only tool is a hammer seeing every problem as a nail? You don’t want to be caught in that trap. That’s where Analysis comes into play. It helps you determine why you haven’t finished that book.

Establishing Priorities ensures that you’re working on the right things and that you understand the implications, what some call the opportunity cost, of each decision you make.

Proper Organization helps you make the most of the time you have by using some hints from industry experts.

Discipline could be nicknamed “just do it,” but we’ll talk about techniques that will make just doing it easier.

And finally, you can’t succeed without Support. While you may think of all support as coming from the people around you, we’ll also discuss the internal support process, which is equally critical.

There it is in a nutshell: the APODS technique for finishing your manuscript and living to tell another story.

Have I intrigued you? I hope so, because I’m looking forward to your comments and questions as we journey from those initial moments of wild enthusiasm along the long and sometimes difficult road to “The End.”

You can find Amanda at:

www.amandacabot.com
https://www.facebook.com/amanda.j.cabot
https://twitter.com/AmandaJoyCabot/
http://amandajoycabot.blogspot.com/

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First Question

Second Question

Third Question

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Getting to “The End”

APODS

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