In my interactions with thousands of writers a year, I often find that when it comes to the topic of eBooks, writers often have stars in their eyes (can I get rich? will it be easy? how long until I get discovered?), instead of focusing on basic truths of eBook writing, which are also basic truths of writing careers in general.

When you create an eBook organically from scratch to serve your readers, you get to stop focusing on getting rich, making it easy on yourself, and getting discovered, and put your focus where it rightly belongs: writing the best darn eBook you can write, publishing it in whatever formats make sense, and getting it in front of people who are interested in its promise so they can decide whether or not to hit the “Buy Now” button.

Here are twenty-one tips on writing, publishing, and marketing nonfiction eBooks for sensible people:

1. Don’t listen to people who say you are going to get rich doing this. Their focus is in the wrong place. Publish eBooks with integrity, just like you would do anything else. Integrity is the focus of everything you do, right?

2. If you focus on serving readers rather than getting wealthy, you will be rich in the ways that matters most and your eBooks will succeed. People who do quality work on a daily basis understand this.

3. Focusing on selling an eBook just for the sake of selling an eBook is just as foolish as focusing on writing a book for the sake of writing a book. Get your game face on. There is no reason to write, publish, and market a book, unless the book/eBook is merited. If it’s not merited, save your energy for other pursuits.

4. EBooks are merited more often than traditionally published books because the marketplace is wider, deeper and more flexible than it is for traditionally published books. This is because of “The Wide Tail.” Bottom line, you don’t have to sell a million copies, you might be better off selling hundreds of copies.

5. EBooks, like books, both take an enormous amount of energy to write, publish, and market if you want them to make any kind of serious impact in the trajectory of your career. And, of course, you do, right? Please don’t believe anyone who tells you something different. If your eBook is not an integral part of your growing writing career, take pause. Publishing eBooks is not a recreational sport. Steer clear of folks who make it sound like it is.

6. On that note, recognize that eBook publishing is not magic. An eBook is  just one more literary vehicle for your expertise to fill, so it can reach readers. There are dozens of literary forms. Some are much less complicated than eBooks. If you have not tried other shorter, nonfiction forms, you probably should before you tackle an eBook.

7. There is an exception to every rule. Let’s take a closer look at a good case study of an exception. The people who write this blog, in my opinion, should be working with professionals who can help them create a saleable eBook on their topic. In this case, they have a platform. They have media interest. They have an incredibly helpful niche that is just radiating integrity. And no eBook. That’s just not right. Even if they have traditional publisher interest, I would suggest they get an eBook done and on sale now. Why shouldn’t they capitalize on their success and on their hard work?

8. Generally speaking the best time to write an eBook is exactly the same as a traditionally published book. When you are the right person, with the right content, at the right time, you should write that eBook. Timing sells books. Content sells books. And solid expertise and thorough research sells books.

9. Let the eBook format emerge out of what makes the most sense for the reader. In teaching my Micro-publishing For Mom Writers class the focus in the class is on writing the most frictionless eBook possible. Nothing else can happen until you have written the best eBook you can write. This should be your primary focus until the job is done. Nothing else is as important.

10. Speaking of working with others, you should probably collaborate with others when writing, publishing and marketing nonfiction eBooks. Don’t go it alone. We don’t need any more poorly written, poorly targeted, and poorly marketed anything in this world. So unless you are committed to multiple collaborations to create, publish, and launch the best possible product, I would hold off until you are willing.

11. Steer clear of cult-like groups. You don’t need a group of people to commiserate with, you need a clear mission and a kick-ass eBook. You need to be an individual, who can partner with others and serve others. Your book serves the world, not a group of cronies. I push my students to be strong individuals with a clear sense of professional purpose and this helps them to become more self-confident professionals, who create their own luck despite external circumstances.

12. Focusing on the reader is not only the most important thing for your sanity and success, it’s also the most important thing in any business. If the customer is always right, then the reader is also always right. Addressing reader needs and frustrations isn’t just one thing, it’s the primary thing.

13. Polish your eBook until your excellence appears effortless. This requires a lot more work than you think. I can think of about thirty-three possible formats for your eBook. But the best possible format for your eBook is the one that will appear seamless to the reader because the reader will be so busy absorbing the excellent content that you provide.

14. Forget everything everybody says about pricing. You will price your eBook according to what the reader will pay for it, period. This is also known as “what the market will bear.” Sell your eBook for the highest price that readers will pay to move quantities of the book. Trial and error is the best way to figure this out.

15. You will know when you have achieved a marketable eBook because advance readers in your target market will rave about the eBook. Until this happens, you are not there yet.

16. If you are not there yet, it’s likely because you didn’t work with a developmental editor, you didn’t have early readers give you feedback, you didn’t have people help you fine tune and proof the manuscript, and you wrote the eBook you felt like writing rather than the one that readers didn’t know they needed.

17. Your eBook is a natural extension of everything you do and everything you offer and everything you are known for. It goes with the big picture of who you are and what you do.

18. You will sell as many copies of your eBook as you offer. No offer. No sales. Not comfortable with sales and self-promotion? This is going to be a problem. Every writer, with very few exceptions, must become comfortable with selling and self-promotion and do it with wisely and well. There is no shame in creating excellence and offering it to others. If you have a problem with this, you need to get over it. If you hang with a crowd of people who have a problem with this, see number 11.

19. Discoverability is a huge factor in the success of your eBook. If I want to buy it but I can’t find it in an online search in seconds, you’ve lost the sale.

20. Discoverability is also key for readers who don’t know about you or your eBook but are looking for any information on your topic. You want these folks to be able to find your eBook, right? Then you need to offer it on a website with excellent Search Engine Optimization. You need old media, social media, and word-of-mouth. Anyone who says that any author does not need all of these things is grasping for straws.

21. The time and energy you devote to your eBook will likely be worthwhile and win-win-win for everyone involved. If it won’t be worthwhile and win-win-win, don’t do it!

Are you willing to get to work on your eBook now? Are you committed to selling it for the life of your writing career? Are you going to devote the best of your writing, publishing production, selling, and self-promotion efforts to the project? Great. Then you are probably going to succeed in both the short run and the long run.

Here are some great examples, in my opinion, of writers who publish eBooks as an integrated part of their existing platform and are richer writers for it:

Malia Jacobson
eBook: Ready, Set, Sleep
http://www.maliajacobson.com/

Judy M. Miller
eBook: Parenting Your Adopted Child
http://judymmiller.com/

Jenny Kales
The New Nut-Free Mom: A Crash Course in Caring for Your Nut-Allergic Child
http://nut-freemom.blogspot.com/

Cindy Hudson
Mother-Daughter Book Club Meeting Planner Guides: Collection One (eGuide)
Book By Book, The Complete Guide to Creating Mother Daughter Book Clubs (Traditionally Published)
http://motherdaughterbookclub.com/

I am the author of three books from Writer’s Digest: The Writer’s Workout, Get Known Before the Book Deal, and Writer Mama. I also published Author Mama and The Build Your Author Platform Workbook in digital formats. Please subscribe to my ezine, The Prosperous Writer, and this blog so we can stay in touch.

Often when I am on Twitter, the links people share grow tiresome very quickly.

But this morning something poetic happened, three perfect thoughts came from three different places to equal aha magic.

So I thought I’d share them with you.

And for the record, I’m not one of these people who is going to tell you that social media is always magic.

It’s not. Some days it’s darn tedious. But when you use it as a tool for aha, when you are just open to what is right in front of you, that’s when something wonderful can come together.

So here’s what I saw today. Read them in a row if you can.

1.

2.

One of my students drew my attention to this blog post this morning. I think this post is so, so, so, so, so true for writers.

Nothing is ever as easy as it seems, especially not that by The Gypsy Mama

3.

Seth’s blog is in my mailbox every morning because he is so consistently brilliant

Clearing the Decks

Do any of these messages go together for you?

I’d love to hear your comments.

The movie Hugo is based on the book written and illustrated by Brian Selznick

We finally saw Hugo this weekend and I was so sorry not to see it in 3D (I still might).

Samantha and I loved it. So much so that we watched it again the next night (because she was too sick to go to her first Mother-Daughter Book Club meeting).

It’s pretty rare for me to like a movie enough to watch it twice in a row. But this movie is like a love letter to filmmaking. I loved Scorsese’s (and original book author Brian Selznick’s) tribute to George Mélies.

And I’m not one of those fanatical Scorsese fans. There was another reason I loved this movie — in addition to being in awe of the train station set they created for the film and the cinematography — I loved the message.

George Mélies (both the real person and the character in the film) achieved such a high level of creativity because, in his own words…

Georges Méliès: [voice over] Magic tricks and illusion became my specialty. The world of imagination. My beautiful wife was my muse, my star and we couldn’t have been happier.

Magic and illusion became his specialty. And when you find and trust your specialty, it will take you to levels of creativity you cannot imagine.

I like that message. I believe that message. I teach that message.

Here’s some dialogue snippets and the movie trailer.

George Melies: My life has taught me that happy endings only happen in the movies.
Hugo: But the story’s not over yet.

Hugo Cabret: Monsieur Labisse gave me a book the other night.
Isabelle: He’s always doing that. Sending books to a good home, that’s what he calls it.
Hugo Cabret: He’s got real…purpose.
Isabelle: What do you mean?
Hugo Cabret: Everything has a purpose, even machines. Clocks tell the time, trains take you places. They do what they’re meant to do, like Monsieur Labisse. Maybe that’s why broken machines make me so sad, they can’t do what they’re meant to do. Maybe it’s the same with people. If you lose your purpose, it’s like you’re broken.

Hope you see it! It’s perfect for the whole multi-generational family. And is now available on DVD.

Every once in a while, good things happen to good people. And whenever this happens, I think it’s a cause for celebration. And, I don’t know about you, but I kinda feel the urge to grab my drum and join the circle.

You may have noticed that I used Cheryl Strayed as an example of tech-savvy writer in my recent post on how to be become a tech-savvy writer for #AWP12.

That’s because she planned the big reveal of her identity as “Dear Sugar” from the Rumpus’s Dear Sugar column just before the launch of her forthcoming book, Wild (publication March 20, 2012 from Knopf).

I thought this was a very smart move on Cheryl’s part. And I’m not going to take that back. It was incredibly smart. I want her to have full credit.

But let’s not forget about the power of traditional media. I have said this before and this seems like a good time to say it again.

While flying back and forth to Chicago, it seemed like I could not crack open a magazine (I cracked open many, it’s what I do when I’m flying) without seeing plugs for Cheryl’s new book splashed, Wild, across the pages in full color.

Was I envious?

A tiny bit. Who wouldn’t be? I think it’s only natural. But that little pang passed quickly. I got over it about two minutes after I saw her spread in The Oregonian, before I’d even left home for the conference.

After my two minutes of self-pity were up, I felt jubilant for Cheryl and for her family. I was pumping my fist in the air chanting, “Go, Cheryl!”

I gave Cheryl a big high ten in the lobby of the Hilton when I saw her at AWP. I am excited not just for her, but because traditional publishing still manages to work despite all the odds against it. This feels like something of a miracle. Especially when it works for someone you know. Especially when it works for someone who is also a mom. Especially when there is no trace of ego.

Cheryl is  a mom, and when a mom writer wins, that’s a win for the whole tribe.

So, go mom writers! Go, Cheryl. Rock those bestseller lists!

I predict that Cheryl's book is going to become the Eat. Pray. Love. of 2012. Mark my words.

I predict that Cheryl’s book is going to become the Eat. Pray. Love. of 2012.

Mark my words.

I could not be more thrilled for Cheryl. I am full of hope for her and all of us.

I hope her book is big. I hope it’s huge. I hope it blows the roof off all the bestseller lists.

I hope you will stop whatever you are doing and pre-order it right now.

There is power in the sisterhood of mothers. We may not always feel the power or act on it.

But when someone is worthy and hardworking, like Cheryl, we have the ability to add our vote to a mom’s rise to success.

Cheryl is very humble and deserving. She won’t be changed by the success. I hope you will jump on board on help me cheer her on.

Here are all the ways you can order.

Thank you for adding Wild to your pile of must-reads.

It’s the holiday season and therefore a good time to support fellow writers. A few of my students have written ebooks that might speak to someone on your holiday shopping list.

I highly recommend them all!

Late-Onset Hearing Loss: A Parent’s Perspective of What to Do When Your Child is Diagnosed by Krysty Krywko

Reader response:

While reading your book I cried, because I wish someone would have spoken to me the way you speak through these lines. I can imagine that reading it when I received all the news about my daughter would have been like having a true friend by my side.

It would have allowed me my own emotions and given me the assurance that I was a good parent. For the parents who read your book it will be a different story. Reading what you had to say is making me feel differently about myself now.  Thank you so much!

~ Ketty Nazario, mother to child diagnosed with late onset hearing loss

More info and about Krysty Krywko.

• • •

Ready, Set, Sleep: 50 Ways to Help Your Child Sleep, So You Can Sleep Too by Malia Jacobson

Reader response:

Two days after I bought Ready, Set, Sleep, my 11 month old son just slept through the night for the FIRST time! I couldn’t be happier! This e-book is full of practical easy to follow information, for new parents or those who just need a “refresher” on sleep. Useful, relevant, and informative!

~ Michelle Armstrong, mom of two

More info and about Malia Jacobson.

• • •

Mother-Daughter Book Club Meeting Planner Guides: Collection One by Cindy Hudson

Reader response:

The meeting planner was a lifesaver. I work outside of the home full time and have 3 kids 10 years and under, so I don’t have a lot of time on my hands to think up good questions or activities. The questions in the meeting planner were at the right age level, specific to the story, and fun to answer (i.e. none of them made the girls feel like this was work).

~ Amber H., Huntington Beach, California

More info and about Cindy Hudson

• • •

What To Expect From Your Adopted Tween by Judy M. Miller

Reader response:

As an adoptee, I wish What To Expect From Your Adopted Tween had been available to my adoptive parents when I was an adolescent. I am recommending it to everyone I know who has, or will have an adopted child in their lives.”

~ Linda Hoye

More info about Judy M. Miller

Thanks for spreading the word about these wonderful ebooks!

]]> http://christinakatz.com/gift-this-now-or-with-your-forthcoming-gift-cards-as-applicable/feed/ 2 http://christinakatz.com/21-tips-for-nanowrimo-success-for-any-type-of-30-day-project/ http://christinakatz.com/21-tips-for-nanowrimo-success-for-any-type-of-30-day-project/#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 17:05:39 +0000 @thewritermama http://christinakatz.com/?p=3795

I like NaNoWriMo.

For one thing, I heard the creator, Chris Baty, speak at Tools of Change for Publishing a few years back, and I feel that he has good intentions for writers.

For another, I said in three of my last four posts that writers need to put writing at the center of their careers and NaNoWriMo helps you do just this.

Also, NaNoWriMo is not just for novelists anymore. Any writer can use the premise behind NaNo to accomplish whatever goal they want to accomplish in thirty days.

This gave me an idea of a couple things I would like to accomplish in the next thirty days. So I have decided to use NaNo in a very low-key manner to help me get them done.

I won’t bore you with the details because I’d much rather you thought about what big goal you might be able to accomplish in 30 days if you broke it down into 30 steps and then attempted to do it.

Got any ideas?

Once you do, here’s 21 tips for getting your work done alongside the rest of your busy life:

1. Up and at ‘em! Get up earlier (or go to bed later).
2. Exponential productivity. Consider your most productive time of day and work then.
3. Keep it simple. Don’t make a big “Look-What-I’m-Doing!” festival out of your work. Just feel good about getting it done each day.
4. Stay grounded. Share your satisfaction with getting your work done in a low-key way. Hopefully, it’s contagious.
5. Choose support wisely. Talk to supportive people about your writing success, but don’t mention it to people who have historically proven incapable of cheering you on towards your creative goals.
6. Steer clear of “Crazy-makers.” Short definition: folks who interfere with you getting your work done. Just stay away from them for 30 days. It’s good practice.
7. Team up. The team you want to join is the most focused, committed, productive team. Take care of your own emotional needs.
8. Don’t get fanatical. Be of NaNoWriMo without becoming a NaNo maniac. If NaNoWriMo takes over your whole life, your friends and family might start getting annoyed.
9. Be as social or anti-social as you like. Don’t bow to peer pressure. Trust your gut in all things. If adding writing a novel to your daily routine is as much as you can manage, it’s enough. You can make the decision daily to suit your comfort level and needs.
10. Balance your act. Recognize that big writing goals require communication of your intentions and needs, while still requiring you to be mindful of other’s goals and needs. It’s all a big balancing act—so keep your balance.
11. Have a rough, flexible outline. Remember, that it’s not written in stone. Play with it as you write.
12. Think in scenes. Write the scene or chapter you really want to write today. Who says you have to write the darn thing in order? Nobody. That’s who.
13. Break it down. Break down the things you want to write into 30 parts. Start each section freshly each day to accomplish the maximum number of drafts.
14. Break it out. When you “accidentally” create a new direction in your WIP, just break it out into a new section on your list, jot down what you know you want to say, and get back to what you are working on today.
15. Update your progress. Once a week look over your outline again and tweak it as needed.
16. Be a pro, this might get published. Start considering yourself a writing professional as soon as possible, because if you are working steadily towards a big writing goal, you are acting like one.
17. Check it off. Have a method for noting what you’ve drafted in your outline that feels festive to you. (Gold stars, anyone?)
18. Carry it over. Once you discover you can get and sustain writing momentum, start asking yourself why you don’t stay as productive and engaged the rest of the year. Start to consider that maybe you can!
19. Consider this a practice writing workout. Think about the marathoner. How does he get and stay in shape? It’s all about the daily workouts. So is this.
20. Make NaNo-think part of your daily life. What do you want to keep and what do you want to leave behind? You will know when you are done.
21. Enjoy the writing ride! Whatever you are writing, whether you “win” or not, you are learning things about your creative capacities and they are worth their weight in gold. Walk away with a clearer understanding of what makes your creativity hum, and you will definitely win.

Happy writing!

[This post has been updated with Mark's USA travel schedule at the end of this post for the folks who asked for it! Happy headshot hunting!]

Sure, I can. And with pleasure because I’m a big fan of this photographer.

Mark Bennington has been taking my headshots for the past several years.

See?

So, if you see a picture of me and I look halfway decent, chances are very good that it’s thanks to Mark Bennington.

So if you see me looking like any of these photos…

It’s all thanks to Mark and his friendly lens.

Of course, when Mark is not around, and I am not speaking or presenting, I usually wear jeans, an old t-shirt, glasses and a baseball cap. (And my Writer Mama baseball cap, of course!)

If you are in the Bennington fan club, link your headshot to this post in the comments. I can’t wait to see it.

If you decide to contact Mark for headshots, please tell him Christina sent you, even though I’m pretty sure he hears this a lot.

Here’s all the ways you can connect with Mark: http://about.me/markbennington

As you would probably expect, Mark charges more for multiple looks than he does for just one look. You can read his tips on how to take your own great headshots in my book, Get Known Before the Book Deal. Available wherever books are sold!

Mark’s US Writing Conference Tour Schedule:

February 16-20, 2012: San Fransisco Writer’s Conference in San Fransisco
April 26-28, 2012: American Society of Journalists and Authors
July 19-22, 2012: Pacific Northwest Writers Conference

Mark also swings through Portland, Oregon several times a year.

Contact Mark directly to get on his mailing list at mark bennington at sbcglobal dot net

Sometimes you just need a short-hand way to encapsulate all that you do.

And thanks to Jane Friedman, I have now found a way.

At the bottom of Jane’s recent newsletter, I saw a little social networking button for a site called About.Me.Com.

Curious person that I am, I thought to myself, “Hey, what’s that?”

I clicked on the button in Jane’s newsletter, which you should really sign up for if you haven’t already, and this is what I found.

I was impressed. And I wanted to learn more. So I clicked here and learned more in about two minutes.

Sold.

It took me about an hour to create my page. But I’m happy with the initial results.

Let me know what you think!

Check out my about.me profile!

And when I set up my About.Me page, I got a free pack of 50 biz cards from Moo.com, which will come in handy at my live launch party for The Writer’s Workout on December 4th at the Wilsonville Public Library. There will be cake! Hope to see you there.

Do you know any moms who are involved with mother-daughter book clubs?

Cindy, where did the idea for mom-daughter book club planning guides come from?

I often hear from moms and librarians who lead book clubs, asking me for ideas of what to do at their meetings. I know from my own experience that planning a book club gathering can be a challenge. It takes time to figure out how you’ll lead the discussion, what kind of activities you want to pull together and what food to serve. The guides I have created put all these ideas into one document along with a book review and an interview with the author to make planning a meeting easy.

It sounds like you have a depth of knowledge about the inner life of mother-daughter book clubs, how did you become such an expert?

It all started when I created my first mother-daughter book club with my oldest daughter ten years ago. I started another with my youngest daughter three years later. A few years after that, I developed MotherDaughterBookClub.com to provide a resource for moms, librarians and others who were in groups of their own, and I have learned even more from readers who write in to ask my advice or tell me of their success stories.

What are the benefits of mother-daughter book clubs for those readers who might be considering starting one with their daughter or daughters?

There are so many benefits I could go on and on, but if I had to narrow it down to just a few, these are the ones I think are most important.

1. Mother-daughter book clubs help you stay closer to you daughter as she grows.
2. They help you connect with the broader community around you, such as other moms and daughters, librarians, teachers, and more.
3. They keep moms and daughters reading for fun, which has proven to be one of the most effective ways to promote overall literacy throughout your life.

How do your meeting planner guides make a mom’s job easier when she’s hosting a mom-daughter book club at her house?

I’ve included way more ideas than can be used for one meeting, so a mom can choose the ones that will work best for her group. The activities and recipes in the guides include options that are easy as well as those that are more complicated, so she can pick what works with the time she has available as well.

Are there other ways to use these meeting planner guides that might not be immediately apparent?

When moms buy the collection, the whole group benefits from easy planning for six meetings. For some groups, that’s a year’s worth of book clubs. And of course, if you like the recipes you can use them even when you’re not planning a book club meeting.

One of your daughters has gone off to college and now off for a year abroad, do you credit the mom-daughter bookclub you started together for keeping you close today?

Absolutely! Being in book club kept us talking through the most difficult teen years, and reading the same books that she did gave me insight into issues that were important in her life.

Which part of being an expert on mother-daughter book clubs is your favorite part?

I truly believe mother-daughter book clubs change lives, and if I can help even one more get started by doing what I do, that makes me very happy.

You can learn more about Cindy, Mother-Daughter Book Clubs, Cindy’s Guidebook, and her new collection of Meeting Planner Guides at her website.

Thanks for helping me support Cindy’s Meeting Planner collection launch. I appreciate your help spreading the word!

Wow. I am really impressed with the 2012 Writer’s Market. There are so many things that I like that I will just list them. Here goes:

I appreciate Robert Lee Brewer’s level tone throughout the book. And I quote, “While the changes [in the industry] can seem dizzying at times, I’m sure of one thing: There will always be a need for engaging and talented freelance writers.”

I think a level, realistic tone is becoming increasingly hard to come by, but you’ll find it at the heart of the entire 2012 Writer’s Market and especially in Robert’s article “The Uncertainly Brave New World.” (43-46)

Don’t miss Marc Acito’s feature on “Perfect Pitch: Pitches That Never Fail.” Not only do I just enjoy reading anything Marc Acito writes, I felt inspired to be a better pitcher after reading this helpful and lighthearted advice. (pp. 27-33)

I enjoyed the “Build A Platform: Or You’ll Miss The Train” feature by Jeff Yeager. Jeff is so funny and easy to relate to that every writer should really read this article to see how to get those qualities into what you write. He put lots of great storytelling techniques into his article and gave some good advice about platform building, as well. (153-161)

Make sure you catch Robert’s interview with Jane Friedman, “Social Media Master Shares Secrets To Success.” The lead is very clever and Jane offers up some great tips, as always. (pp. 188 – 194)

And you simply must read Robert’s interview with Chuck Sambuchino because…well, there is some big, fat news in there, if you have not heard it already. Really, really big news. Go, Chuck! (pp. 195-200)

I’ve already mentioned that I am featured in Kerrie Flanagan’s article on “The Art of Promoting.” Here’s a quote that reflects something I can’t say often enough, “Consistent and constant self-promotion are key to publishing success, regardless of whether you self-publish or traditionally publish…it’s not any one self-promotion technique an author uses, it’s using all of them.” (pp. 169-172)

And now for the scavenger hunt portion of this recommendation. See if you can find a teeny-weeny, computer chip sized photograph of me somewhere in your copy of Writer’s Market. Let me know in the comments if you can find it!

And happy writing for publication, writers!