writers Archives - K.V. Fischer

Handling Life’s Transitions as We Move into the New Year

You know how it goes. You’re cruising along in life, and suddenly the road takes a sharp turn. Perhaps the road signs warned you. Perhaps it came by surprise. In either case, life will never be the same. Consider the roads you have traveled. No doubt you’re facing circumstances today that you hadn’t expected to face 5 years ago, 5 months ago, or even 5 days ago, but here you are. Perhaps you or your loved one has health problems, or you have become a new parent, and you not only have a new little cherub to care for, but your body has changed! It will never be the same, or so you think. Perhaps you have lost a loved one, lost your job or spouse, or are facing other transitions in your life.

There are so many life transitions and issues that we must cope with, that if l were to touch on all of them, they would fill multiple books. Instead, Handling Life’s Transitions as We Move Into the New Year is the first in a series that will provide an opportunity for you to reflect on 2023, the transitions you are facing, and hopefully provide general guidelines on getting through them as we move into the new year and beyond. You’ll notice a common theme – controlling the controllable.

The Snowball Effect

If you’re a writer, whether published or not, joining other writers in a writers’ group is highly encouraged. An article written by Amanda Cabot, Thyme with Other Writers is an enlightening article that addresses the importance of being a part of a writers’ group.

Writers' group, writing retreat — Writing Retreat with some members of our writers’ group.

I had been a part of a phenomenal group of writers for 14 years when difficult life transitions hit a number of its members and the group dissolved. This particular group was special and was a source of inspiration and motivation for me. These life transitions snowballed into mine.

controlling the controllable

To get through these transitions and my own, I looked at what I can control – my time, efforts, attitude, and maintaining important relationships–and focused on controlling the controllable.

Although we no longer meet as a group, I have maintained special relationships with a few. These special relationships were the impetus for the motivation, support, and invaluable assistance I received in getting After the Verdict, Book Two in the Search & Recovery International Series, ready for preorder with a January 11, 2024 release date. Thank you, Amanda Cabot, Leslie Sartor, and Jane Choate, for your support, prayers, and the sharing of your invaluable expertise and skill.

What transitions have you gone through in 2023? What can you control?

A missing groom, a murdered attorney, a massive snowstorm—what else can go wrong with what was supposed to be a storybook wedding?

Gutsy Colorado lawyer Briana Bertelli has just successfully prosecuted a serial killer…or has she? Betrayed in previous relationships, she’s vowed to remain single and dependent on no one but herself. All goes according to plan until her best friend’s wedding rehearsal.

Highly decorated, retired Special Forces veteran Kale McLaren has seen much death and is ready to experience a new life.

Now the Chief Operating Officer of a global special ops organization, he’s looking forward to a relaxing weekend at a friend’s wedding. The last thing he expects is to be brought face-to-face with death and the most intriguing woman he has ever met … Briana.

With the highest of stakes and time running out, can Briana and Kale combine forces to discover what happened after the verdict?

You do not need to read the first book in the series, Search Beyond Lies, in order to enjoy the second.

Search Beyond Lies is a work of fiction, inspired by true events.

A suspense thriller with a dash of romance, Search Beyond Lies tells the story

of the search for a missing scientist, a top-secret project, and a ticking clock. Desperate to find his friend and mentor, James Frankel knows that only former Army Ranger, Charlie Sommer can help him. But how can he trust a woman who’s keeping secrets?

As a former Army Ranger, Charlie Sommers garnered the reputation of having the highest search and rescue success rate, but she’s plagued by the one she left behind. Now she’s on the verge of an exciting new beginning as a part of Search & Recovery International where her secrets are safe. There’s only one problem: the new assignment will take her back to Colorado and the loss that still haunts her.

The clock is ticking down. With their lives–and their hearts–at risk, Charlie and James join forces in an attempt to save the scientist and the world from catastrophe while finding the truth beyond lies in this action-packed thriller. It is available at https://amzn.to/3ueVmTO.

Book Marketing & the Reader – Part 1

I recently attended a virtual Summit on Bestseller Secrets and wanted to share a few tips I gleaned for book marketing. As a reader and not just an author, I did not necessarily agree with each speaker’s ideas and points, but you may. Author and reader input is requested! The highlights and relevant tips for Part 1 follow.

Amazon’s category change

L.A. Sartor, Christmas, Best-Selling Author, job, goal, burnout, Prince of Granola, The Chunky Method Handbook, Thyme for Writers

Amazon revamped their categories which could drastically affect readers finding your books on Amazon. Rather than going into detail here, L.A. Sartor published a great blog titled, Authors, Big Amazon News. I highly recommend you check it out.

Newsletters

We’ve all heard over and over the critical nature of sending regular newsletters. Key in creating newsletters is to have a subscriber list you can send it to, and the more the merrier. Growing it is no easy task, especially when as authors, we want to spend time writing our books. Authors, what do you need?

Writer’s Retreat (from left to right) with Donna Wichelman, L.A. Sartor, Sandi Rog, K.V. Fischer, Audra Harders, Candee Fick

First on the list is a giveaway — something your potential subscribers would like to receive in exchange for signing up to your list. If you are a nonfiction writer, this can include something as simple as a helpful checklist. But alas, fiction writers don’t get off that easily. We need to provide what we love – story. I intend to write the story behind how and why Search & Recovery International was created. Would you be interested in that story? If you choose to subscribe to my Mailing List before it’s ready to be released, you will still receive that story as well as any other giveaways I provide.

The next question is based on frequency. How often should you email your subscriber list? Every single speaker at this summit pushed daily emails to grow your subscriber list. Hmmm.

I subscribed to several of them to see what they did and how I felt about it. One week later, I unsubscribed to all but 2, and one of those 2 only sent me one email because it was her birthday and she let me know she will not be sending emails that week. We’ll see how long she lasts before I unsubscribe. Frankly, I find it harassment, but each of these speakers have evidently found it successful for them. What are your thoughts?

The Marketing Plan

It was unanimous – to sell books, you must have a marketing plan in place prior to your book’s release. More on that to come. By the way, tomorrow Search Beyond Lies is available as an Amazon Countdown Deal for 1 week. It will be available for .99 for 3 1/2 days and then move to $1.99 for 3 1/2 more days before it goes back to 3.99. If you have Kindle Unlimited, it’s free.

Do you have a plan?

A suspense thriller with a dash of romance, Search Beyond Lies tells the story

suspense thriller, romantic suspense, Colorado, Rocky Mountains, action — Search Beyond Lies, Book One in the Search & Recovery International Series

Publish Don’t Perish – Another Great Resource

In Tip #13 of my Publish Don’t Perish Series, I shared resources writers might find valuable. This article provides another great resource I wish to add to that Publish Don’t Perish resource list. One of my favorite authors, L.A. Sartor, started a YouTube channel for writers. Trust me, she is a wealth of information.

The Channel

Her channel is devoted to all things writers need to create better work (techniques). It also encompasses marketing their work, including mailing lists and how to make them work for the author; the ability to learn tips and tricks from other authors; and how to publish independently. She wants to challenge the viewer, praise them, and offer solutions.

L.A. Sartor as a Teacher

I personally know how L.A. works and how she teaches. She works patiently, with enough detail in each lesson to make it palatable and heart felt. No harsh rules, just suggestions. Her preference is for people to try and see if they make a difference. L.A. thinks they will, which is why she is so excited about moving this channel forward.

Check It Out

If you are a writer, and are interested in a valuable resource, please subscribe to L.A. Sartor’s YouTube Channel. Since it is a new channel, she needs 100 subscribers to obtain her personal link. Until then, you can check out her subscription link at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeYEx2Ad2qSluFFbSgzuerw . Clearly, a personalized link would be easiest.

Search beyond lies update

A photo of Mount Meeker & Longs Peak by Jim Franckum

As for the promised update on my novel, Search Beyond Lies (inspired by Brian Perri and his friends who searched for him without giving up), I am just about ready to send it to my professional content editor, Candee Fick. Although my previous two books were traditionally published, my goal is to be in a position to donate a percentage of the profits of this book to the Humane Society and/or search and rescue training for dogs. The traditional route does not give me this option.

I will keep you posted!

Publish Don’t Perish Tip #11 – Be Accountable

Last week, I republished the article, An Inspiring Rare Friendship in anticipation of Publish Don’t Perish Tip #11 – Be Accountable. It’s so easy to be pulled away from your writing when “life” interferes. Sometimes you need a break, as I discussed in Tip #10 , however, sometimes while the break is helpful, it may extend longer than intended, and you can move farther and farther away from your goals. This slippery slope is especially easy for the writer, an often lonely profession. However, when you set yourself up to be accountable, important goals are likely reached. Today’s article will share ways in which you can make yourself accountable.

Accountability Partner

Find yourself an accountability partner. This is someone you can share your daily or weekly writing goals with and who will check in with you to see if you’ve met them. This doesn’t necessarily have to be another writer, it can be anyone willing to see you succeed.

Writers’ Group

.Join a writers’ group. I have been blessed by one of the most incredible, supportive groups imaginable. We meet monthly, although during these times of social distancing, we missed a few until we found our rhythm with a new venue — Google Meet. It’s not quite the same as being together in person, but it’s almost as good and still provides motivation to write. These amazing people have the ability to fill my soul.

At the start of each meeting we pray together and provide a 90 second update on where we are with our writing. It’s amazing what that 90 seconds can inspire us to accomplish during the month.

Writing Retreat – Donna Wichelman, L.A. Sartor, Sandi Rog, Karen Fischer, Audra Harders, Candi Fick

Critique Group

Join a critique group where like minded writers set writing goals and provide regular drafts to other members for critique. Each group will have its own set of “rules” and “guidelines” the members need to follow. But each member is held accountable to participate and write.

Go Public

When you go public with your readership, family, and friends, you don’t want to let them down. Search Beyond Lies is a very important project for me, and by going public with An Inspiring Rare Friendship, I want you to hold me accountable. My goal is to have Search Beyond Lies ready for my professional content editor (Candee Fick) by December 1, and ready for my copy editor (Elizabeth Fenton) by Christmas. I will check in with you regularly.

What suggestions do you have to help us be accountable?

Publish Don’t Perish Tip #10: TAKE A BREAK

Tip #10 in the Publish Don’t Perish Series is — TAKE A BREAK, when you need one. Sometimes the process of making lemonade from life’s lemons requires a break for whatever reason. When it comes to the life of an author, sometimes a break will do wonders for writer’s block. However, sometimes different aspects of our lives must take a priority, whether it’s children, your spouse/significant other, day job, a family member who needs assistance, or …

The last post

The last post I published was the last Thursday in April, thanks to Candee Fick. The last post I wrote, was two weeks prior. Friends, I took a break from writing. Not all writing, I am an attorney with the law firm of Karen VDH Fischer LLC and I write legal documents all day, whether for businesses, estate planning, probate, Employee Handbooks, or … . I took a break from writing my articles and working on my book, Search Beyond Lies. That break is over, and I am charging forward.

Search beyond lies

My latest novel (a work in progress) is titled, Search Beyond Lies. It’s very important to me, as it was inspired by my son’s close friend and mentor, Brian Perri, who lost his life on Mount Meeker on June 30, 2018 and those who would not give up on his search — my son, J.C. and Brian’s close friend from his army days, Kimo, who is now a part of our family. Although inspired by these incredible people, the book is a work of fiction and will have a happy ending.

An inspiring rare friendship

After the 3-week search for Brian, I wrote an article titled, An Inspiring Rare Friendship. Although I posted this article on my website, it was subsequently lost when my website “crashed” and a number of published articles could not be recovered. Next week, I will republish this article, as it will be instrumental for the next tip.

Take a break

Take a break if you need it, and please don’t feel bad about taking it. Do something fun if you can or a task you enjoy, perhaps painting, gardening or culinary works of art, whatever your pleasure (mine is culinary since I have no talent with a paint brush or with the garden — although I enjoy others’ creations). These are unprecedented times and it’s important to take care of yourself.

Writers Beware of the Legal Pitfalls — Contracts

Contracts can make or break you. Most people, especially writers and other business people deal with a variety. Today we’ll take a look at publishing contracts.

writing, perseverance, journey, publishing, author, mistakes, writers conferences, fiction, nonfiction, craft of writing, traditional publisher, indy publishing — If Writing Is Your Passion – Never Give Up!

Please keep in mind the purpose of this article is as an educational resource only, it is not to provide legal advice.

Publishing Contracts

The decisions you make today can have profound consequences that can haunt you for years. Also, keep in mind that just because they are listed in a reliable source as a publishing house to consider, doesn’t mean that a particular publisher is ethical or follows industry standards.

Case-in-point

I will use myself as a case-in-point. My second child was Trisomy 18 and was stillborn. The doctors wanted me to terminate my pregnancy after receiving a test result and I refused.

I wrote a book that was cathartic for me, and my intention was not to make money off of it, but to buy them and distribute them to people who might benefit from the message. Now this was before the e-book era when self-publishing was very costly. At that point I had never been to a writer’s conference and did what most people do — bought a book of publishing houses and agents and started to send out query letters.

The rejection letters rolled in. Finally, I got the “yes” from a publisher. I read the contract and there were a number of clauses I did not like but they refused to negotiate. Their position was that I was a first time author and I could take it or leave it. I felt I had no choice if I wanted to get my message out and I signed on the dotted line.

Release Day

My book came out and frankly they did a nice job on the final product. This was one of the first publishing houses who did print on demand — they did not have the ability to store thousands of books. Under the contract, they had the right to determine the price of the book and my discount came off their price. Their retail price was $14.99 for a 99 page book and my 30% author discount brought my price down to the retail price it should have been sold at. I couldn’t afford to buy it and give it away. But then God stepped in and took control.

William Bridges, picture, purpose, plan, part, time management, Amanda Cabot, Cimarron Creek, tasks, goals, accomplish, sequence, schedule

I got a call from the publishing house telling me that they had an order for three books, and they mistakenly printed 300 books — Would I like to buy them? I told them I couldn’t afford to buy them. They offered 50% off. No… Then 60% off. No… I ended up buying them for 80% off and donated most of them to charitable organizations. God did use my book to save lives.

The Right of First Refusal

This publishing house had the right of first refusal to my next book and I did not want them touching it with a 10 foot pole. I researched what books they did not publish and there was only one — children’s picture books. Guess what my next book was? — A children’s picture book. I submitted this next book, received the rejection letter, and I framed it.

With e-books and the ease of Indy publishing, authors have more negotiating power. The days of take – it – or – leave – it are pretty much a thing of the past. But the author still needs to understand what they’re getting themselves into.

The next article in this series will take a look at author representation contracts, the common parts of a book contract, and important considerations.

Publish Don’t Perish Tip #8 – MAKE LEMONADE FROM LIFE’S LEMONS

Life isn’t easy, and when you’re dealt lemons, Tip # 8 encourages us to make some lemonade. Right now all of us are in the largest crisis of our lives. To say that we were dealt lemons is a gross understatement, but we must make lemonade in the meantime.

As writers, you may ask, “What does that looks like?”

Relationships

Life is all about relationships, and the success of our books is all about relationships as well:

Relationships between our characters,
The feelings we stir between our readers and our characters (also a relationship), and
Marketing our books.

With today’s on-the-go society, very few families spend time together. The Stay-at-Home Order has provided an opportunity for families to spend time together and hopefully strengthen those relationships. Of course the opposite is possible, but we’ll be hopeful that’s not the case.

In today’s high tech society, we have the opportunity to reach out to each other electronically to continue our social interaction with others and deepen those relationships. It is also placing those who were not technically savvy to become more proficient. As writers, those are critical tools.

Emotions

It’s hard to make your characters’ emotions “real” without experiencing those emotions yourself. The COVID-19 pandemic has put us all in a position to feel emotions we may never have experienced — EXTREME, to say the least. We can use those emotions we feel to make those emotions “real” in our characters.

More Writing Time

Under normal circumstances, quite a few writers are not able to write full time because they still have to support themselves and their families. With the Stay-at-Home Order in place, those who are unable to work, have more writing time. Those who are now working remotely, can use their drive time for writing.

Support

There are so many concerns and variables associated with those concerns. Some of us have “children” who are on the front lines of this battle. My daughter is a neurosurgery resident who is in the forefront, along with the daughter of a fellow writer in my writers’ group, Jill Haymaker, whose daughter is an ER doctor.

Prayer is our sword and comfort. The medical staff are the heroes in this battle and need our support and prayers.

Let us stand together as a community of writers and lend a hand of support, encouragement, and prayer.

What recommendations do you have to pay our support forward?

Beware of the Legal Pitfalls — Intellectual Property Confusion

When it comes to intellectual property rights, confusion abounds. Between copyright, trademark, service mark, and patents, questions arise as to what rights apply. The purpose of this article is to help shed some light on the differences. Remember, this article is an educational resource only and is not to provide legal advice.

What Is a Trademark or Service Mark and How Do They Differ From Patents and Copyrights?

A trademark is a brand name. A trademark or service mark includes any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination, used or intended to be used to identify and distinguish the goods/services of one seller or provider from those of others, and to indicate the source of the goods/services.

What is a trademark or service mark?

• A trademark is generally a word, phrase, symbol, or design, or a combination thereof, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.
• A service mark is the same as a trademark, except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than goods.

Do trademarks, copyrights, and patents protect the same things?

No. Trademarks, copyrights, and patents protect different types of intellectual property. A trademark (or service mark as the case may be) typically protects brand names and logos used on goods and services. A copyright protects an original artistic or literary work. A patent protects an invention.

Likelihood of Confusion with Other Marks

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) examines every application for compliance with federal law and rules. The most common reason to refuse registration is a “likelihood of confusion” between the mark of the applicant and a mark already registered or in a prior-filed pending application owned by another party.

The USPTO determines that a likelihood of confusion exists when both (1) the marks are similar, and (2) the goods and/or services of the parties are related such that consumers would mistakenly believe they come from the same source. Similar marks or related goods/services by themselves are not enough to support a finding of a likelihood of confusion, unless a court has held that the mark is actually a famous mark. That is, generally two identical marks can co-exist, so long as the goods and services are not related.

Each application is decided on its own facts and no simple mechanical test is used to determine whether a likelihood of confusion exists.

Mistakes Do Happen

An author filed a trademark application claiming exclusive rights to the word “cocky” in Romance book titles. Once she obtained the trademark registration she went all out and sent multiple notices requiring authors to change the title of their books. She attempted to block the sale of books by romance writers who used that word in their title. Amazon even complied with her take down request.

“Cocky” is a popular word in the genre, and it didn’t take long for her registration to be contested, especially when a recipient of one of her demands happened to be an intellectual property attorney and the registration was clearly an error on the part of the USPTO.

The law is explicit — only series titles can be trademarked, NOT book titles, and common words can’t be trademarked unless the word creates an association with a specific source (i.e. an individual author) in the minds of the public. Moreover, the USPTO specified that a trademark owner in a book series title cannot prevent that mark from being used in a single book title. “Only series titles can infringe another series title.”

Next month we’ll take a look at contracts, an area encompassing everyone whether you are traditionally published or self published. What has your experience been?

Publish Don’t Perish: Tip #4 – Get Started On Your Website

Get started on your website regardless of how far along you are on your first book. The idea is to build a following of readers before you release your first book. If you wait until after, it may be quite difficult or even too late for that first book. The good news is, if I can do it, just about anyone can — no joke. In my SEO for Writers Series, I provide guidance on how to get started and optimize your readership. For your convenience, I listed the articles below with a brief summary and link for each.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Writers

Discover:

What a website provides that social media does not; and
An incredible tool to get you started: The Author Toolbox — Practical Tools to Build a Book, a Platform, a Business, and Career, by Candee Fick.

Search Engine Optimization for Writers — Unique

SEO, writers, unique, Google, content, websites, authors, books — Unique

Our definition of unique is not necessarily the same as how Google and other search engines define it. When it comes to your website, being unique as Google defines it is what’s important in growing your reader base.

SEO for Writers — Key Words

Readers use key words to find what they are looking for. Identifying these words and terms are critical to increasing the number of people who visit your website, in other words, increasing your hits.

SEO — Make Your Content Stand Out

When you make your content stand out, you will increase your hits. Ensure your content stands by focusing on these critical areas:

bloggers, writers, copyright — Make your content stand out.

Be Appealing and Useful
Purpose
Value
Answer a Question
Relate
Variety
Entertain
Visual
Inspire
Scannable
Compatible
Shareable
Regular Publication

SEO — Increase Your Hits

We’ve been looking at ways to increase your hits, from the key words you use to making your content stand out. This article provides the last of the tips to increase your hits and entice the reader to stay a while. After all, a reader who hits and immediately jumps off tells “Google” that they did not like what they saw, but one who stays … .

SEO — Your Website Topic

The last article in the series discusses your website topic. For those who write nonfiction, this won’t be a challenge, however fiction writers are another story. Receive inspiration for your topic in this article.

Don’t be afraid — Go for it!

SEO — Your Website Topic

We’ve been talking about content, because that is the most important. For this last post in my SEO Series, we’re going to explore your website topic.

How many of you write nonfiction? Fiction? Nonfiction writers have their topic laid out — the topic of your website is that of your book or books.

Fiction writers are a different story. Depending on the type of fiction they write, they may or may not be able to tie their blog to their novel or genre. If you fall into this category, choose a topic you enjoy (your sense of joy will spill out to your readers) and know about.

For example, I am a dietitian and am passionate about eating properly and exercise. I am also an attorney and am passionate about the legal profession. My first novel is a romantic suspense thriller, Hidden Bloodlines. The heroine is an attorney (of course). My theme is “adding spice to your life” with a blog tying my books, passions, and writers/readers, titled “Thyme for Writers.” I confess to not coming up with that title — Candee Fick, a fellow writer in my writer’s group did. — Thank you Candee!

My website has posts on nutrition (including delicious healthy recipes), exercise (a physical therapist has been a regular guest on my website), legal issues facing writers, tips for writers, and interesting real places that relate to my book. Whew.

Fitness, workout, weights, weight control, body, weight loss, zucchini, routine, exercise, weight lifting, cardio — Reverse Flies on Ball for the Newbie & Advanced

Statistics show that for the greatest impact, at least 2 blogs per week should be your goal. But some of us have other obligations which may make it unrealistic.

Whatever your topic, I recommend not making the same mistake that I made. I let the fear of technology stop me; don’t let it stop you. Start your website/blog now. Don’t wait until you have that publishing contract like I did. It still takes time to build that following. If you start your web now, and your book gets released in 2 years, you will have a following who will buy your book.

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

With respect to the technology aspect, you don’t need to hire an expensive web master. I’m living proof. A writer I know who is a former K-12 teacher, Candee Fick is amazing. She can teach you how to get up and running and manage your own website at a very reasonable hourly rate. I am living proof. And, I confess, she used me as her beta tester for her “worst case scenario” — what is the most time it could take to teach someone.

I’d like to leave you with the 2 most important SEO tips: (1) optimize the very first paragraph on each page and (2) update often.

We all know that the web is flooded with all types of useless, inaccurate, information. When you create valuable content that serves a purpose, you are slicing through the noise and clutter on the World Wide Web and become one of the trusted resources. That is what we want to strive for sooner rather than later.

The Snowball Effect

controlling the controllable

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Amazon’s category change

Newsletters

The Marketing Plan

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The Channel

L.A. Sartor as a Teacher

Check It Out

Search beyond lies update

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Accountability Partner

Writers’ Group

Critique Group

Go Public

Share this:

The last post

Search beyond lies

An inspiring rare friendship

Take a break

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Publishing Contracts

Case-in-point

Release Day

The Right of First Refusal

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Relationships

Emotions

More Writing Time

Support

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What Is a Trademark or Service Mark and How Do They Differ From Patents and Copyrights?

What is a trademark or service mark?

Do trademarks, copyrights, and patents protect the same things?

Likelihood of Confusion with Other Marks

Mistakes Do Happen

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