Summer School

I'm teaching a writing class tonight on how
to get your book published at the Community Learning Center, 8750 Tesoro Drive, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. Fee is $27.

From Book Proposal to a Published Book

Since many writers are well on their path to publication and want specific information on how to write and submit a book proposal, we’ve just published From Book Proposal to a Published Book, a short version of The Write Way.

This book offers everything you need
to know about writing a perfect book proposal that will get you an offer and a publishing contract for your nonfiction book--from finding the right publisher or agent for your book, to creating an author platform, developing a marketing and promotion plan, knowing what editors and agents are really looking for, writing your query letter and book proposal and making it the best it can be, submitting it in a professional manner, understanding and negotiating a book contract, being edited, and seeing your book on the bookstore shelf… this book has it all. It clearly explains what to do and how to do it, and what NOT to do to get your book published.

It’s 138 pages; available on Amazon for $12.95.

Computer Crash

One of the worst things that can happen to a writer is losing his/her words... words that you've put your time, energy, effort, and heart and soul into. It feels like you've lost something personal; it's not just words...
it's who you are on paper.

It happened to me last Wednesday. My computer crashed due to a Windows automatic update. There was nothing that my Internet security people could do to revive it. The computer was dead... gone... a.k.a. the blue screen of death.

The worst part was that I hadn't backed up my words or printed out a hard copy of most of my work, so my words were gone... completely obliterated into the oblivion of cyberspace. So my advice to writers
is to BACK UP YOUR WRITING!!!

I was completely lost without my computer and my words for the past week. I didn't know what to do with myself. My writing so defines me that I felt as if I'd lost a big part of me. I just got my computer back yesterday from the Geek Squad and have started rewriting the lost words. And yes, I will back up my words so I don't ever lose them again.

Blogging and a Book Giveaway

Looking for something to get you into the swing of writing every day? Why not try NaBloPoMo -- National Blog Posting Month -- where you commit to blogging every day for
a month?

I've done this before at Foods and Flavors of San Antonio last March when my cookbook was first published, serving a fiesta of food. And... I've decided to do NaBloPoMo again at Chadwick Pages.

One of the purposes of blogging is to gain readership and visibility. I've been neglecting Chadwick Pages, so I'm going to grow my blog and write a post every day in February. I'll be offering a look inside my books and doing a book giveaway. The drawing will be done on
the last day of the month; the winner can choose the book he or she wants from all the books I've blogged about.

Come on over and visit Chadwick Pages as I blog my books.

Breakthrough Novel

Have you written a novel and want to get
it published? Amazon, along with Penguin
Group and CreateSpace, is sponsoring the Breakthrough Novel Award.

There are two grand prizes--one for general fiction and one for young adult fiction. Each winner receives a publishing contract with Penguin, which includes a $15,000 advance. Open submissions for manuscripts is January 25th through February 7th. Click the link for more details.

I know what's it's like to write a novel... to live, breathe, and sleep with it every day and night... to become best friends with your characters, to know they're real, even though they're imaginary, and to love your book like you've never loved anything else. I also know what it's like to receive 93 rejections on your beloved book, and I know the passion for getting it into print.

New this year, for the first time, the breakthrough novel award is open to novels that have been previously self-published. WooHoo!! I'm entering my novel, Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

New Year, New Look

You've heard the adage, You can't judge
a book by its cover. In the publishing industry, this doesn't hold true. A book
is judged by its cover. Your book cover
is so important... it can make or break
your book. If distributors don't like your book cover, they won't represent it to bookstores. If readers don't like your cover, there's a really good chance they'll pass it over in favor of a book with a good looking cover, even if your book is much better.

Sooo... I'm in the process of updating How To Write Your Book And Get It Published The Write Way with more information and a new cover, all dressed up in a better looking package.

While we're on the subject of book covers, what kind of vision do
you have for your book cover? It doesn't matter if you're still in the process of writing your book or if you have an offer from a publisher (and they'll be designing your cover with little or no say-so from you), it's good to have a cover concept of what you want your cover to look like.

Seeing your book cover in your mind and creating a picture of your cover says to your subconscious that your book is complete. This will actually help you write your book because you see it in finished form. Play with your book cover concept, put that picture on the wall above your computer, and see what happens with your writing.

And speaking of how your book cover represents what's inside your book, I also created a new header for this blog... to represent what
a writer really looks like.

Book Promotion

The most important thing in
selling your book, whether it's commercially published and especially if it's self-published, is Promotion. You've got to promote your book; you have to let people know about your book and entice them to buy it by sharing blurbs
to show potential readers (book buyers) what your book is about, what's inside, and why your book will interest them.

Your book isn't going to sell itself. That's something you have to do. The very first thing to do, even before you finish writing your book,
is create an online presence with a blog and/or a website about your book. This doesn't have to cost you a ton of money; you can do it for free and the exposure is priceless. Two good sites for blogging are WordPress and Blogger.

Blogs are a powerful promotion tool and can also be a lot of fun because they're interactive. If you blog on a regular basis--at least once a week with fresh content, posting relevant subject matter and perhaps sharing brief excerpts--your blog will get good rankings and search engines will send people who are looking for the information
in your book to your blog.

After you've set up your blog, showcase your book on the sidebar and provide links where people can buy your book. Start a blog. Your book will thank you. Your publisher will thank you. Your bank account (think royalties) will thank you. Most important, your readers will thank you.

Pueblo Publishing

Pueblo Publishing, which focuses on books of the Southwest, is a new imprint of my publishing company, Mystical Mindscapes. We're planning to launch it after the first of the year. We're looking for book proposals for cookbooks and books on Southwest shamanism, Native American arts and crafts, myths and legends from the Land of Enchantment, and tall tales from Texas.

If you're writing a book on any of these topics, we'd be interested in hearing from you. Visit Pueblo Publishing for more information. If you think your book will be a good fit for us, please read and follow the submission guidelines.

Riverstone Publishing

I've just created a new website -- Riverstone Publishing -- which features "how-to" books on writing. Come on over and visit.

Explore the path to publication...