Publishing

Why You Don’t Want to Get Your Book Done Quickly

April 4, 2025 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

As a coach, speaker, or business owner, you may have heard that being a bestselling author gives you credibility. After all, having a book helps you:

Get more speaking gigs
Have another revenue stream to support that platform (from online royalties or selling books at the back of the room after a speaking event)
Expand your audience tenfold through a lower-priced product (made available worldwide through online stores and libraries)
Increase your opportunities to pitch to media and do interviews on radio, TV, podcasts, etc.
Connect with clients and potential business partners by showing your expertise (and don’t forget: you can use your book as a gift!)

Strategies for Fast Book Production

So, how do you get a book out there quickly? There are lots of ways to approach this process.

Pick only one small, focused problem and offer the solution for it in fewer than 10,000 words.
Compile all of your blogs, PowerPoint presentations, etc., and roughly organize them around a few key ideas.
Turn your signature speech into a book.
Get together with other like-minded professionals and do a themed compilation book on your individual stories or on how you each solved a problem.

But stop a moment.

What Haven’t You Heard?

While I’m all for helping authors self-publish and build their platforms with quickly produced books, I have learned a thing or two coming from “behind the curtain” of traditional publishing that I think most new authors learn only in hindsight.

Traditional publishers understand the long-term results of good branding.

They won’t take a book that isn’t really compelling in each of these areas:

Well organized; each fresh idea builds momentum gracefully and powerfully, convincing the reader of the value and truth of the ideas being proposed (avoiding redundancy, confusing paragraphs, muddy arguments, etc.)
Full of emotionally impactful stories that concretely support the ideas the author is developing
A strong, unique hook that can get both media and a bookshelf browser’s attention despite all the competition from similar products
Good writing—not just mechanically clean writing (with correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and lack of typos), but prose that captures the stories and ideas with powerful verbs, word economy, precision, and strong voice/compelling style

A publisher wants to make the deepest possible emotional impact on the broadest possible audience: impressed, moved, excited readers mean repeat buyers for future books, converted clients for the author (which means a bigger platform for future books), and excellent reviews and interview requests (which drive book sales). Publishers don’t want to rely on one-time marketing strategies to sell a single book in the short term. They are investing in something; they want long-term buying conversion to that author’s brand.

The quality of the book—from its well-edited guts to its cover to the marketing copy on the back (and even the type of paper it’s printed on)—is a publisher’s best chance to convey the brand experience that will convert readers.

Compromise for the Solution

So, yes, you can jump on the bandwagon and quickly slap your book together, have only one or two other people give you their thoughts, and hire a proofreader to find the typos (which is different from the type of editor who deals with the items in the good-branding list above, FYI).

And you can even sell a lot of books at the back of the room and pay for the kind of marketing that will make it a best seller in some Amazon category. But what’s after that? If someone attends your speech and then buys your signature-speech book, what increased value did you give them? Will they be that interested in the next thing you produce, or will they write you off as a one-hit wonder?

If you want to use your book to grow your business long-term, the smoothest path to success is to have a clear, firm, and impressive book-branding experience in place from the get-go. It will give them more value, more interest in you, and more loyalty as converted clients (and it will be more convincing to any business partners you’re courting). With a higher-quality book, you’ll truly convey the expertise you have.

Do Now

It’s never too late to up-level your branding. If you’ve already published a quick book, don’t sweat it. Let it continue to produce what results it can while you consider if you could take it to the next level. If you’re thinking maybe you should redo the cover or the marketing copy, find a professional in the book industry to help you. Find a good developmental editor (and a deep-line editor) to give you that professional edge. That’s the beauty of self-publishing, after all—you control everything.

If you’re still developing your book, how do you incorporate the lessons of traditional publishing into your plan for quickly producing your book?

Get your content together quickly and, by all means, team up with the marketing power of other professionals if that makes sense for you; but in traditional publishing (where quality equals long-term success), that’s called a draft. It’s not what you go to press with.
Get lots of feedback—not from close friends, your mom, or a single mentor. Use whatever networks you have (including social media and/or the audience for any online courses you’ve created) to refine your ideas by beta testing them to see what gets engagement and interest. (You’ll want to find readers who are actually facing the problem for which you’re providing a solution.)
Hire a professional developmental editor—don’t just get a copyedit or proofread; these latter services are both types of professional editing, but they are final steps. A developmental editor is trained in developing ideas, making sure your book is well organized, and in helping the audience connect with your voice—in short, his/her job is to make sure the market you want to speak to is going to understand your message and be moved by it. If you’re writing a memoir (or a narrative-driven inspirational/how-to), find out if your nonfiction editor also has extensive training in story structure, thematic through-lines, character development, and so on.
When you go to self-publish, hire individuals or teams that have experience in the traditional publishing industry so you can apply that experience to producing a quality book—one that will look as good as what the traditional industry produces. For instance, you want a team who knows what makes a good cover and why. Is the marketing copy actually marketable (has a good hook, covers reader pain points and desires, is well-worded), or is it just a general summary of your content? Does the vendor insist your cover, tagline, and image tell a cohesive genre story and hook your ideal target market? (Most won’t.)

Sound Like This May Take a While?

Actually, we’re talking about adding just a couple of months to your timeline if you bring in professionals to help. In the grand scheme of things, adding two to three months to your release date isn’t much of a bump in the publish-quickly road. (If you have a pressing deadline that’s non-negotiable, just get what you have out and then up-level as soon as you can after that; you want the best version of your book available for bigger audiences as your business grows.)

If speed is your priority, or you’re really starved for time, you can even give your content to a ghostwriter who can spin gold from it, capture your voice, and have it all done within a couple of months.

Spun gold—that’s the kind of book that’ll have your readers coming back for more. That’s the kind of book a traditional publisher may consider picking up after you’ve made a self-pubbed success of it. That’s the kind of book that can be your legacy.

In short? Get it done fast, but get it done right.

This article was written by Angela Eschler and was republished in this condensed form with permission from Eschler Editing. To read the full version, click here.

The Five P’s to Pitching Your Book

October 14, 2024 By LDSPMA 1 Comment

With LDSPMA coming up this week, many of us are looking forward to the classes, keynotes, and interactive sessions—which include pitching! Pitching is an incredible opportunity to chat with an editor or agent about your work and can frequently lead to opportunities for representation and publishing.

But pitching can also be incredibly scary and super intimidating. You’re putting yourself out there and sharing what’s in your heart that you’ve been working on for years. So many worries and fears can fill your brain: Will the agent/editor even like it? What if you say something wrong? What if you never find a home for your book? What if the fire alarm goes off in the middle of your pitch and you’ll never get to finish what you started?

Well, I’m here to reassure you that it’s unlikely the fire alarm will go off, and while it can be scary, pitching is not the end of the world. As someone who has pitched at multiple conferences, I know it can be overwhelming, especially your first time. But there are things you can do to make pitching a positive experience—and increase your chances of landing that dream publisher! So, without further ado, here are the five P’s to pitching.

1. Prepare

The first thing to remember is that you need to prepare for your pitch. This awesome article gives you plenty of resources to help you prepare and walks you through how to build your pitch. As part of preparing, you need to give yourself time to focus on your story to distill it into your three-minute pitch. Write everything out (your hook, your synopsis with the stakes, your comparable titles, and your author bio) and then print it. You can just read your pitch at the conference—that’s totally acceptable. Just make sure to print off two copies—one for yourself that you can mark up, and one for the agent/editor to give them if they ask.

2. Practice

Once your pitch is written out and ready to go, practice saying it, and practice with a timer to make sure you’re staying within your allotted three minutes. Practice in front of the mirror, practice with your spouse or children, and practice with your dog, too. Go over it as many times as you need to so that you’re comfortable reading it in the time you have. If you need to write yourself reminders in your pitch such as “pause here for effect,” “breathe after this sentence,” or “eye contact here,” do so and then practice those cues. You want it to be well-rehearsed—but not perfect. (Notice that “perfect” is not one of these five P’s!)

3. Presentation

The day of your pitch, you want to dress for success. This doesn’t mean you need to be super formal like you’re going to a dance, but you should dress professionally and on-brand for your book. If you’re writing fantasy, maybe dress in something a little more whimsical, like a cute nature dress, or a fun plaid jacket with nice slacks. If you’re writing middle-grade horror, maybe don a leather jacket if that’s part of your brand. If you wear makeup regularly, then do your makeup for your pitch. If you’re someone who never wears makeup, then don’t. You want to feel professional, but you also want to feel like yourself. I’ve worn penguin earrings to pitch my book because they’re on-brand for me and my stories, and they make me feel happy and comfortable. Dress for success, but also dress comfortably to best represent yourself and your book to the agent/editor you’re pitching to.

4. Pacing

Because you’ve practiced your pitch, you know how long it’ll take. But here’s a little secret: we all speak way too fast when we’re nervous. Every single time I’ve pitched, I speak too fast because it’s nerve-racking and exciting to put yourself out there. That’s why practicing beforehand is so helpful. You know exactly how long it’ll take you to read your pitch, so give yourself permission to slow down. If you need to write yourself a reminder on your pitch, do that too. Slowing down also helps calm your racing heart, making it easier to say the words. And don’t worry—agents/editors are humans too, and they totally get being nervous. Many of them teach classes for their job, which can put them out of their comfort zone too.

5. Patience

I know, patience can stink. But here’s the thing: not every agent/editor you pitch to is going to be the best fit for you or your manuscript. You’re interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. If they say no, which happens, don’t give up. If they say yes, but then later reject your manuscript, that’s okay too. Publishing is constantly changing, and while your story may be pristine and polished, it may not be the right publisher or the right time. Don’t be afraid to try again and pitch at a different conference to a different agent/editor.

That’s it! Remember to follow the five P’s by preparing, practicing, presenting yourself well, pacing yourself as you pitch, and practicing patience with both yourself and the agent/editor you’re presenting to. And remember, at the end of the day, even if they don’t accept your book, you still took a brave step forward into the unknown, and that is praiseworthy.

KaTrina Jackson

KaTrina Jackson loves penguins, cross-stitching, chocolate, and piano music, and spends much of each day trying to fit those loves in around her jobs as a freelance editor and as a project manager for Eschler Editing. She graduated with a degree in editing and publishing from Brigham Young University because she couldn’t get enough stories in her life. She’s also a member of three different writing groups, attends and teaches at multiple writing conferences yearly, volunteers with LDSPMA and has since 2021, and is currently working on publishing her first novel. When she’s not writing, editing, or reading, she can be found practicing yoga, teaching piano lessons or performing with her husband, or watching Disney movies while working on a cross-stitch project. She and her husband live in Olathe, Kansas.

Pitching to Agents

April 19, 2024 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

As a pitch and query editor at Eschler Editing, I know that in-person pitching can inspire fear in the most stoic of individuals. If pitching to an agent or editor gives you the heebie-jeebies, take comfort that you’re not alone, and then take a deep breath and get ready to shake it off. Because if you prepare, you don’t need to fear!

Up first, writing the pitch. Well in advance of the actual event, you should know the guidelines for your pitch—the duration of the session, the length of the pitch, and so on. Those are the parameters within which you’ll work.

In this article, we’re going to talk about writing and preparing a pitch that you’d deliver in person to an agent or editor in a 10-minute pitch session. Elevator pitches, one-line pitches, Twitter pitches, and other types of pitches can follow this same formula. See below for hints on tweaking for those formats.

So, Let’s Build Your Pitch!

Step One. Write down the following:

Title
Genre
Setting (where)
Protagonist (who)
Main Conflict (what)

Books are about someone. And they have stakes. You want to include both in your pitch.

Try to:

Evoke some emotion
Make your character stand out
Tell more about your genre without really saying it
Use as few words as possible

Step Two. Write down one vivid detail that makes any of the above elements in Step One different from everything else out there.

This is about making your story different. Think “Who, What, Where, and Why Should I Care?” It’s this last part that you’re focusing on here. Why should an agent care about your setting, protagonist, or main conflict? What makes them different?

Agents/editors read a lot of slush. They hear a lot of pitches at conferences. Why is yours special? That’s what you’re aiming to say here.

Step Three. Answer three questions:

What is the barrier between the main character (MC) and what he or she wants?
Who is the villain? What is the BIGGEST thing the villain is keeping from the MC that prevents the MC from overcoming the conflict?
Does the MC have any special abilities (doesn’t have to be paranormal) that MUST be mentioned?

Answering these questions helps identify the uniqueness of your character and the inherent stakes in your plot. Both are essential to a pitch, no matter its length.

Step Four. Write down three “big” words—evocative words—that relate to your story.

You’re only going to use one of these, and you’re going to put it in the last sentence of your pitch. It’s essentially your curve ball—the thing that makes an agent/editor say, “I need to read your full, stat.”

Step Five. Set a timer for 5 minutes and write:

A one-paragraph pitch for your novel using the information you’ve collected in steps 1–4. In the last sentence, use one of your three “big” words to finish the pitch. This is a cliffhanger pitch. You’re not giving a synopsis of the book. You’re dangling a carrot, enticing the agent or editor to ask for more.

It’s important to note here that the pitch should be about 5 sentences, or about 125 words.

Putting It into Practice—the Example

We’re going to write a pitch based on the movie How to Train Your Dragon, following the steps above.

One sentence from steps one and two: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON (title) takes place on the island of Berk, where fifteen-year-old Hiccup (who) lives with his tribe of bloodthirsty Vikings—but he can’t bear to deliver the fatal blow to a dragon (something interesting/unique/vivid—and to make it even better, it’s the conflict).

Three sentences that convey the conflict and stakes from the three questions you answered in step three: Hiccup wants to impress his dad (the “wall”)—the tribe’s chief (more conflict)—with his dragon-slaying talents, so he enrolls in dragon training (bigger “wall”). Every morning he wields a mace and shield while sneaking off in the afternoons to play with the Night Fury he’s befriended. Eventually his weapons are replaced with games as he learns that dragons aren’t the monsters he’s been brought up to believe (minefield of conflict).

A final sentence from step four that has your “big word” and cliffhanger curve ball: Using his quirky sense of loyalty, Hiccup has one shot to prove himself and set a new course for the future of the entire tribe.

That’s it. Something you can easily memorize and recite in a couple of minutes. Make it snappy. Push yourself to write some awesome sentences. And stop at a point that makes the agent or editor have to know more.

Now’s the time to edit your pitch for length if you’re preparing an elevator pitch, a one-line pitch, or a Twitter pitch. See if you can take out the three middle sentences, leaving just your first and last. You might need to do some tweaking, combining, or rearranging. But at least you’ll have a base from which to work. Remember, all pitches should convey a unique MC who has a unique conflict with high stakes.

Step Six. Practice.

Practice in front of the mirror. In the car on the way to work. With a friend at critique group. Over the phone to your mom. Practice. Practice. Practice. You’re going to practice the pitch so much that you’ll have it memorized—which is the goal.

Whew! You’ve written and practiced your pitch.

Next, you’ll prepare for the actual session.

Preparing for the Live Session—a Few Tips

Level the playing field. An agent or editor doesn’t hold the key to your entire future happiness or your self-esteem. You weren’t hoping to marry everybody you ever had a date with, and finding the right agent is just the same. You’re both just looking for a good fit. Remember, the agent or editor is just a person. You’re a person. The agent/editor likes watching reruns of Seinfeld. So do you! Shake off the rejection anxiety.
Play to win. Research the agent. Know what the agent is looking for, what the agent has sold, and so on. You’ve written, memorized, and practiced your pitch. You’ve got this.
Act like the star player. Basically, this is a “fake it till you make it” statement. I’m telling you to pretend. Nervous? Pretend you’re not. Act confident. Act happy and friendly. Smile. Ask them how they are. If they’re enjoying the conference. Act calm, cool, and collected. Act like you’re exactly who they want writing books for them—because you are!
Leave time at the end for the agent or editor to talk. Realistically, introducing yourself, settling into the pitch, and pitching should take 3-4 minutes. In a 10-minute session, that leaves plenty of time for you and the agent/editor to talk more about your work.

While a request for the full manuscript is nice, it shouldn’t be your only goal. If you can get an agent or editor to give you feedback about your pitch—which is really feedback about your book—that’s a win.

Now, go write your pitch!

Elana Johnson

USA Today Bestselling Author, Top 10 Kindle Unlimited All-Star Author, and #1 Bestselling Author on Nook and Apple Books, Elana Johnson writes clean and wholesome contemporary romance, usually set on the beach or within the vicinity of the beach. Unfortunately, she lives in a landlocked state and must travel to the beach to get her fix, which her husband gladly accompanies her to do a few times each year.

She also writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance as Liz Isaacson and sweet romantic women’s fiction as Jessie Newton, and all of her books are part of the Feel-Good Fiction Books brand.

This article appears courtesy of Eschler Editing.

The Importance of a Good Book Cover

April 20, 2023 By LDSPMA 3 Comments

When I decided to self-publish my Legends of Muirwood trilogy, I didn’t know a lot about book cover design. Actually, I didn’t know anything. It probably shows.

My goal at the time was to get the trilogy out in the world without spending a lot of money. I bought a package that included cover design through a self-publishing platform for a bargain price, and I gave some suggestions about abbeys, forests, and fonts. They delivered what they promised: three book covers. But they were all missing what really mattered—a way to help potential readers judge whether they might like the book.

The original covers of Jeff Wheeler's first three books.

As a hybrid author with over thirty published novels, I’ve gained an unusual perspective about the process of designing cover art. I want to give you three BKMs, or “best-known methods” about book cover design so you can see what an author—indie, traditional, or hybrid—needs to keep in mind when designing or choosing a cover.

BKM #1: It’s the Wrapper

Imagine standing in line at the grocery store and seeing a king-sized Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup on sale. You buy it with your groceries, get in the car, unwrap it, and prepare to sink your teeth into that chocolatey-peanut-buttery nirvana . . . but it’s a York Peppermint Patty. You might feel frustrated because you were expecting one thing and got another. Book covers, like candy wrappers, set expectations with the reader up front. The cover clearly shows the genre of the story.

It’s very easy to check on Amazon what the bestselling books are by category and see what design elements are common to the genre. You can look at the size of the fonts, the placement of the author’s name, any bestselling tags, and the color schemes. It’s not a coincidence that a Reese’s candy wrapper looks the way it does or that stores shelve similar items next to each other. Authors are brands too, so if you want a reader to anticipate a certain genre or style of book, it helps if your cover looks similar to others in the same genre.

BKM #2: It’s Professional

Long gone are the days when mediocre-to-cringeworthy book covers (like my original Muirwood ones) would be tolerated. If I tried that now, I can’t imagine what would happen. Readers do judge a book by the cover, so it’s important to hire a professional cover designer because you don’t get a second chance to make that first impression. In fact, especially in the indie space, even the New York Times bestselling authors I know will redesign the cover of a book when they feel it isn’t connecting with the proper audience. Even if the first cover looks amazing, it’ll hurt sales if it doesn’t resonate with the right audience. Many authors have created new covers and found that the second one worked better.

This year marks the 10th anniversary release of my Legends of Muirwood trilogy. We redesigned the covers to strengthen the brand for the series and tie the series in with other books written in the same world. There’s quite a difference from the originals.

The redesigned covers for Jeff Wheeler's first three books.

I highly recommend Bryan Cohen’s Five-day Author Ad Profit Challenge. Even if you haven’t written a book yet or have one to sell, you can still join his Facebook page and watch the videos when he runs the challenge. You’ll learn a ton (for free) about how Amazon algorithms work, how to design a cover, and how to write killer ad copy for your books. I wish this existed back when I first self-published.

Readers can tell the difference between a cheap cover and a professional one. Cover designers are mostly freelance these days, and with a little research, it’s not difficult to find ones you like. For example, most books include the name of the cover artist in the front matter, which you can see for free on Amazon using the “look inside” feature.

A screenshot showing where to find the "look inside" feature on an Amazon book.

I can’t recommend enough getting a professional to do the job right. There are cover art stock photos you can purchase if you’re on a budget, but at the very least, hire a graphic designer to help you with the fonts, styling, and sizing. The last thing you’d want is to spend a lot of time writing a book that no one will read because it looks amateurish. I was satisfied with the covers my publisher used for my first several books, but it wasn’t until they hired Shasti O’Leary Soudant to design the cover of The Queen’s Poisoner that I learned firsthand the power of an amazing cover. You know the saying that “A rising tide lifts all boats”? After that book came out, all my books began to sell better. I’ve now hired her to do some of my indie titles as well.

BKM #3: It’s Expected

Word of mouth is the number-one way people find books they enjoy. There just isn’t a replacement for the solid recommendation of a friend or someone you trust. Readers find new authors all the time through email subscriptions to Amazon’s top Kindle book deals, BookBub, or Goodreads. There is promotional text there, of course, but the cover catches the reader’s eye first. They look at the cover for a second or two before reading the blurb. If they’re still intrigued, they’ll click on the link to see how many reviews it has, how many stars it has received, etc. These are all ways that a book is “judged” before it’s read. The reader’s visceral reaction to the cover starts it off. That’s why readers expect the cover to tell them about the genre and author. They expect a title that’s easily searchable and interesting enough to entice them to learn more.

So, let’s get over the out-of-date and untrue adage about not judging a book by its cover. We base our judgment on if the wrapper matched the content, if it was professionally done, and if it met our expectations for what we purchased and why. A great cover can’t turn a meh book into a bestseller, but there aren’t many bestsellers with a meh cover. Writers today have to be professional to come up with stories that will keep a reader turning the pages. Thankfully, there are skilled wizards of the imagination who can help aspiring authors design book covers that catch readers’ eyes and delight their hearts.

Jeff Wheeler

Jeff Wheeler is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the First Argentines series (Knight’s Ransom, Warrior’s Ransom, Lady’s Ransom, and Fate’s Ransom); the Grave Kingdom series; the Harbinger and Kingfountain series; the Legends and Covenant of Muirwood trilogies; the Whispers from Mirrowen trilogy; the Dawning of Muirwood trilogy; and the Landmoor novels. Jeff is a husband, father of five, and devout member of his church. He lives in the Rocky Mountains. Learn more about Jeff’s publishing journey in Your First Million Words, and visit his many worlds at his website .

How I Research for a Historical Project

March 31, 2023 By LDSPMA 2 Comments

By Heather B. Moore

Some people love research, while others don’t. They want to get into the meat of writing as soon as possible. But if you’re planning to write a historical novel or other project, research is vital to developing the story and bringing credibility to your work. As the author of dozens of historical novels set in eras ranging from ancient Israel, Mesopotamia, the Georgian era, the Regency era, the Victorian era, the early 1900s, World War II, the early Cold War era, and the 1980s (yes, that’s considered historical now), I’ve learned a few tips and tricks to help me tackle each project as it comes along.

Search for Sources

I search on Amazon or other new/used book sites and decide if there are books that I’d like to own so I can have them constantly at my fingertips. If possible, I like to get the paperback version to annotate, the ebook version to do a quick search for a particular key element, and sometimes the audiobook to immerse my brain in the era. I own all three versions of some research books. You can also search Google Books and find older digital books that are absolutely free. YouTube has recently become a key source for me with the plethora of documentaries and shorter historical pieces that are available.

Determine Which Sources to Use

Since you can’t read every book written about a subject (unless there are only a few), you might have to be selective. On average, I read five-ten books about a historical subject in preparation to write a book. Some sources are a gold mine. Other sources might just be more of a quick reference to verify the uniforms worn by a particular army during a specific war. Online articles (including Wikipedia) can be great quick go-tos. You can check at the bottom of the articles as well for further sources as needed.

Research Key Elements

Don’t try to be the expert, but research enough to flesh out your story and bring authenticity. You probably don’t have ten years to research everything you can about Italy in the seventeenth century, but you can zero in on several key elements, situations, and cultural points in order to create a vibrant story that makes the reader feel as if they’re looking into the era through a camera lens.

What are these key elements? Start with the five senses.

Touch—what do things feel like? Are your characters sitting on stone benches? Bamboo chairs? Scratchy woolen blankets?

Sight—what is your character seeing? A bombed city? A river meandering through hills covered in small wooden huts? Tropical trees? Sand and rocks?

Hearing—what sounds are in the setting? The puttering of a small vehicle? The clattering of horses’ hooves on cobblestone?

Smell—does your character live on a farm? By the ocean with the scent of sea breeze as a constant companion? Is it spring with blossoming fruit trees?

Taste—what kinds of food surround your character? Do they spend their days in preparation? Is food a main part of their day? What plants and crops are native to the country you’re writing about?

More elements include:

Major historical events during your story’s timeline. You can’t ignore a major historical event (or weather event, for that matter) if your story covers that day/week/month/year. If for some reason, you do decide to ignore or brush over a major event, document the reason why in your chapter notes or an author note as a disclaimer.

Government/politics. Just as our modern lives are framed by the laws of our land, so are historical characters’ lives. What types of laws were in place? How were criminals dealt with? Were there discrepancies between the sexes or racial groups?

Religion. Even if your character isn’t religious, others around them will be. Religious beliefs can also be a major character motivator, so make sure you aren’t skipping over it in a main character or sub character.

Setting. A historical setting becomes a character of its own. By writing about the past, you are researching old information instead of brainstorming new ideas and inventing new things, like you would for sci-fi or fantasy. The setting can affect characters’ choices and motivations. A story set in the middle of a Minnesota winter has a completely different feel than one set in sunny San Diego.

Dialogue. This can be debated both ways, but generally keeping your dialogue free of modern cliches is very important. Most readers don’t want to read formal, stilted, cumbersome dialect, so find a handful of words that will keep your reader immersed in the historical era. Depending on your time frame, instead of “kitchen,” you might say “cooking room,” or instead of “bedroom,” you might use the more historical-sounding “bedchamber.”

Start Writing

You don’t need wait to write until you have done your research. Doing both at the same time is often necessary. I’ll typically start with research—reading sources and taking notes—and when I feel like I can effectively write the first few chapters of the book, I’ll begin writing, knowing there might be some stopping points along the way to deep dive into more sources. I try not to write too far ahead of my research, though, or I run the risk of writing an entire scene that has to be greatly revised.

Everyone’s method will vary, but hopefully something from my journey will be useful to you.

Heather B. Moore

Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than ninety publications, primarily historical and #herstory fiction about the humanity and heroism of the everyday person. She attended Cairo American College in Egypt and the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel. Despite failing her high school AP English exam, Heather persevered and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in something other than English. Heather dives into the hearts and souls of her characters, meshing her love of research with her love of storytelling. You can learn more about her on her website.

How to Publish Your Audiobook for Less

April 28, 2022 By Sapphire Hodges 2 Comments

Julie MacNeil thought her work on her award-winning book The 50-Year Secret was done when she published it. Although she did successfully find readers, many of her friends told her, “I don’t read much, but let me know when it’s on Audible!”

In the ever-shifting world of publication, authors must keep up with current trends to get their work published, noticed, and to increase shelf life. One of the biggest recent developments is streaming audiobooks on platforms such as Audible.

Streaming on Audible comes with several advantages, as Julie discovered when she researched the platform. There are far fewer books on Audible as opposed to ebooks or in print, and its connection to Amazon is enormously powerful in finding new readers (and listeners!)

How to publish on Audible (the easy way)

According to Julie, the easiest and fastest way to publish on Audible is to hire a professional narrator using Audible’s “back office” site and service called ACX.

The first step is to apply and get accepted for publication with Audible. Next, create a client account on ACX. From there, you can browse the profiles of the people who narrate books. You can listen to voice samples, and even solicit auditions from prospective narrators.

Audible’s connection to Amazon is enormously powerful in finding new readers (and listeners!)

Once you find someone who’s a good match for your work, you and the narrator negotiate a price. Prices tend to be high — possibly thousands of dollars or even split royalties — because these narrators are professionals. While narrators work on recording, sections are sent to both the author and Audible for approval before being published as one whole book. When it’s done, your book will be available on Audible for purchase and streaming.

This is the most common way to publish on Audible. However, Julie decided to do something different.

The 50-Year Secret

For Julie, writing and publishing her book wasn’t about fame or money — it was about saving lives.

She had already lived through several difficult events in life, from bullying to abusive relationships, when she discovered through a chance DNA test that she had a rare liver disease called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.

The genetic disease is potentially fatal, but because it is a tricky disease that can often manifest as respiratory rather than liver problems, an estimated 90% of people who have it are undiagnosed. So, Julie was especially glad that she found out.

“I found it really empowering to learn about my disease,” Julie told me in a recent interview. “I wanted to encourage others to … be proactive about their health. Even if you find out you have it or some other disease — even if it means you might die young — I hope you’ll make the most of life.”

Because Julie was adopted, her doctor suggested she try to find her biological family so she could warn them about the disease and encourage them to get tested. Her book chronicles this journey of finding her biological family. Although her father had already passed away from alpha-1, the lives of other family members were saved because they were able to get treatment for the disease they might have died of but never known about.

Julie wrote her book largely because she wanted to help bring awareness to others about alpha-1 and encourage more people to get tested — and maybe save their lives too. Getting on Audible would amplify her message beyond Amazon.

How to publish on Audible (the cost-effective way)

Julie figured out she could still get her book on Audible — and save money — by doing more of the process on her own.

First, she bought a software program for recording and editing audio called Hindenburg. Julie heard about it at a writing conference where she was nominated for an award for her book and was impressed with some of its features. Besides important tools like filters for canceling background noise, she said, “Hindenburg has classes and deals and free trainings to help you learn how to use it.”

Armed with her own software, Julie didn’t need to choose a narrator on ACX. While some authors choose to narrate their own books, she enlisted the help of her friend, Christina Betz (aka Tina) to read for her. Tina set up her own account on ACX as a narrator so that Julie could select her, and then they negotiated their own deal. Tina had never done any professional narrating before, but she did have an advantage because her husband had a recording studio in their home for his own work.

The longest part of the publishing process was recording because there was a learning curve that Julie and Tina had to overcome. Tina would read a section and send it to Audible for approval, and Audible would reject it if it wasn’t perfect. In the beginning, recordings were often rejected, most often due to background noise. Tina had to make her recording studio more soundproof and get better microphones. Tina and Julie even had to change the lights because professional recording equipment can pick up many lights’ hum.

Writing and publishing her book wasn’t about fame or money — it was about saving lives.

After about six months of trial and error (and help from another friend who worked in audio and video marketing), they were finally able to produce quality recordings that lived up to Audible’s standards. After that, it only took Tina about a week to record the 6-hour audiobook. The book was submitted in pieces and finally published all together as an audiobook.

And now, Julie finds it’s easier to find listeners than readers.

If she had to do it again…

With the gift of hindsight, Julie told me she wouldn’t change anything. The hardest part, she said, wasn’t the long recording process. “It’s getting people to leave reviews!”

I asked her if it would be practical for other authors to do what she did to get on Audible. “It’s the cheapest way,” she said. “We could have hired someone else who had the recording equipment, but it might have cost thousands of dollars. It took a long time, but we learned a lot.”

With a little extra effort and research, authors who are accepted for publication on Audible can do a lot of the work themselves for less cost and learn something along the way. Tina enjoyed the process so much that she decided to keep her profile on ACX so that she could narrate again.

Readers who are curious about Julie’s disease — or who might be interested in her inspiring story of adoption and overcoming trials with a positive attitude — can visit her website The50YearSecret.com and check out her book on Amazon or Audible. The book will also be made into a movie.

Sapphire Hodges

Sapphire Hodges has taught anthropology and middle eastern dance at the University of Oklahoma and courses in English as a Second Language at Utah Valley University. Along with her studies in linguistics and anthropology, she has been a licensed massage therapist since 2009 and has taught a little massage. She likes to read, write, dance, and teach her blue heeler, Beowolf, new tricks.

Minority Voices & the Power of Podcasting

July 29, 2021 By Tyler Nelson 1 Comment

By Tyler B. Nelson

Every Thursday morning, I go for a walk. I put on my shoes and pop in my headphones and take a couple of laps around the neighborhood. On Thursday mornings my favorite podcast, Revisionist History, airs new episodes. The host, Malcolm Gladwell, digs into overlooked and misunderstood bits of history. I learn and I get some exercise at the same time!

Revisionist History is but one podcast in the vast multitude of podcasts available today. Statistics from Apple, Spotify, and other streaming services that produce podcasts suggest that there are around two million podcasts active today.¹ There are hundreds of topics for podcasts. Food, sports, behind the scenes, DIY—you name it. As I mentioned before, podcasts are versatile. You can listen to them on walks, while you commute, or even while you garden. Doing dishes? How about a side of True Crime? My wife and I even use a podcast for our weekly family study.

Podcasting is dynamic. It is powerful. And podcasting is part of a growing force of rising voices all around the world.

The History of Podcasts

Other forms of media spurred the growth of podcasting. Social media rapidly expanded through the 2000s. First Facebook appeared. Then Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.² Facebook recruited its billionth user in 2012.³ As these platforms grew, people had more and more to say. But only so much can be reasonably put into a social media post. Podcasting’s ability to cover a wide range of subjects while simultaneously going in depth about those subjects was appealing.

Apple introduced podcasts to Itunes in 2006. At the time, tech savants and a few forward-thinking comedians were the only ones using podcasts. But podcasting’s popularity rapidly expanded. Politicians, sports teams, and history buffs soon got into the game. The famous/infamous Joe Rogan started a podcast. George Bush gave weekly updates from the White House via podcast.⁴ Even Buckingham Palace got in on the action, releasing a Christmas speech from Queen Elizabeth as a podcast.⁵

The power of the spoken word spread in popularity until reaching today’s levels of an estimated two million podcasts filling people’s ears. Fun and games and entertainment aside, podcasts quickly became the medium for tackling serious issues. One of the most amazing things that podcasting has done is give a voice to those who haven’t always had one. In recent years, the number of minority groups and people podcasting has surged. With the platform provided and important issues on the table, these groups have stepped up. They have raised their voices.

Minority Voices in Podcasting

If you spend some time looking around on streaming services, you will start to see podcasts with titles like Pod Save The People or Code Switch. These are podcasts that are run by Black creators. They discuss the role that race plays in Black American’s lives, Black heritage, and how to unpack the uneasiness that we often feel when it comes to discussing race. Whether or not you agree with what is being said, these podcasts utilize the medium to start conversations that otherwise would not be had. They allow racial, political, and geographical lines to be bridged as easily as putting in headphones. These podcasts reach millions of listeners across races, ethnic, and even political lines.

The Black communities are not alone in raising their voices through podcasts. La Brega, a Spanish word that means “struggle,” is a podcast published in both Spanish and English that details the Puerto Rican people’s experience both in and out of the United States. Judaism Unbound’s hosts interview everyday Jews and examine the current issues for American Jews. And #Good Muslim Bad Muslim takes time to discuss the everyday ups and downs for Muslim Women in the US.

As these podcasts continue to grow, their influence reaches further and further. No longer does an individual have to go to a different neighborhood, or another country, or even a mosque or synagogue to hear and learn from the words of other cultures and religions. The gift of technology blesses millions of lives around the world, and even within our church. Podcasting is being used in wards, for missionary work, convert retention, and connecting members across the world.

An Interview with Eriene Oh

I run a Podcast called Mission Report where I interview missionaries about their experience serving for the Church of Jesus Christ. A few weeks ago, Eriene Oh reached out to me on LinkedIn to ask a few questions about starting a podcast. She wants to interview Chinese converts about their experience joining and staying in the Church. I found the idea fascinating and asked Eriene if we could talk more about it. Eriene graduated from BYU in the spring and now lives in Seattle, so we were able to sit down together over Zoom and I got to ask her a few more questions.

Can you tell me a little more about yourself?

I am originally from Malaysia. I was born and grew up there. I grew up in the Church, which is kind of rare, since I am from Malaysia. My parents are converts. I moved to the States when I was fifteen. I did high school here, went to BYU, and then served a mission (California, Arcadia), came back to BYU, and now I am graduated and here in Seattle.

So your parents are converts; what is their story?

It’s actually pretty cool, because it shows the power of member-missionary work. My dad actually grew up Christian. His family was Protestant. My mom grew up Buddhist. But my mom growing up went to a Catholic school, and she wanted to become a Catholic. Her mom was really against it. She gave my mom one condition: she had to marry a Christian boy, or she could not convert. If my mom had a list for marriage, that was her one thing.
When my mom met my dad, he was investigating a lot of churches, including the Catholic church. My mom thought that was great. She could marry him and convert! Then one day, my dad was at work and he saw a coworker (who was a member) reading a Teachings of The Prophets book. My dad was kind of curious and asked what she was reading. She said “This book is from my Church—would you like to know more?” And my dad began to meet with the missionaries. Every time he came back from meeting with the missionaries my mom would ask him questions. It got to the point where she had so many questions that my dad couldn’t answer. So that is when she came to the lesson with my dad. And she stayed faithful ever since.

That’s amazing! So, where did the idea for a podcast come from?

When I was teaching at the Missionary Training Center (MTC), we were having a work meeting. One of the trainers asked us what we could do to push missionary work forward now that we were back from our missions. I was thinking about it and I was like you know what? A podcast would actually be really helpful! My parents are converts, and even though they have been in the Church for almost thirty years, I feel like their conversion to the gospel isn’t all the way there because I think there are cultural things that are preventing them from embracing the gospel wholeheartedly whether or not they know it. On my mission, I saw that a lot of cultural barriers came up that would lead to them not being able to endure to the end.

What do you hope to accomplish with this podcast?

Another catalyst that made me want to reach out and figure out how to get this thing started is that I had a friend reach out to me. She is from China. She asked if we could talk about something spiritual. She had been a convert of about 7 or 8 years by now. We talked and she brought up examples of people who had been so strong and then left the Church, and about converts she knew that weren’t strong in the Church anymore. She was hesitant to reach out to them about spiritual things because she didn’t know if they were strong in the Church anymore. That got me thinking: if that is such a big, not-problem, but enduring to the end is such a big topic, it’s what we really are about right? At the end of the day, it is to get people to exaltation, to the Celestial kingdom, and if she feels hesitant or she feels like she can’t reach out to people around her, that’s kind of sad. So I think at least for the converts that I have met, for that friend that I know, I hope that this can be a tool that they can use to look at successful converts, or people who were not born in the Church and had to adopt this whole new culture and how they successfully did it. I think those real world examples would be invaluable.

Why did you specifically choose a podcast as your platform?

I think that it’s the easiest medium to reach the audience I want to reach. I want it to reach people who may find reading hard. Or people who, maybe if one day China opens up it can strengthen the converts there. I want it to not have any barriers.

That’s a great goal. Do you have any last thoughts you’d like to share?

I have one scripture that I love. It’s 2 Nephi 5:27, “And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.” I think that is the gist of the gospel. At the end of the day, it is to have true joy.

Incline Thine Ear to Wisdom

One of my favorite scriptures is in Proverbs 2:2. “…incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding.” In this day and age the Lord has provided miraculous tools for connection. The power of podcasting is immeasurable, because it is the power of voice. It can educate. It can uplift. It can inspire. Podcasting allows us to sit down and spark the needed conversations about topics that are crucial to this day and age. Hopefully someday it can bless those who need it in China. For now we can listen and learn. Maybe you could even start your own podcast! What we call all do is use this power for good, by speaking, and by listening to those who finally have voices to raise.

Sources

Tyler Nelson is an English Major at Utah Valley University, and will graduate with his Bachelor’s degree in English, Creative Writing this fall. He is the author of five published short stories, including Letters From Bahati which can be found through Owl Canyon Press. He is also the host of Mission Report, a podcast all about interviewing returned missionaries and letting them share their experiences and advice for future missionaries. Tyler and his wife currently live up on a hill in Provo, UT.

7 Ways To Help Readers Discover Your Books

May 12, 2021 By LDSPMA 1 Comment

By Karlene Browning

When you publish your first book, you aren’t just putting a story out there. You are launching a brand and an identity that will travel with you over the course of your writing career. If you do it right, it will help lead readers to you in a natural and organic fashion. If you do it wrong, it will confuse readers and they will get lost on their way to finding you.

While each of these tips has its own set of pros and cons, whys and wherefores, rules, and reasons to break the rules, this tip list will help your readers find YOU when they’re looking for a good book to read.

1. Pick your name

As your brand, your name needs to be unique enough to differentiate you from other authors with similar names. Do a Google search. If you happen to share a name with another author or a famous person, consider adding an initial, using a middle name, or using a less common pen name.

When a reader finds an author they like, they will Google the name on the cover of the book. You want them to find you online wherever you are. Whether you’re Jane Doe, Jane S. Doe, or Jane Smith Doe, that is your brand and you need to use it on every book cover and on all your online author accounts.

2. Claim your name

Before your name is set in stone, make sure you can get it as a .com, a Google ID and gmail address, and on the social media platforms you prefer. You want identifiable and consistent name branding across as many platforms as possible.

Here again, Google is your friend. If the .com is taken, adjust your name until you find a variation that you’re comfortable with, then grab the URL and social media account names as fast as you can. Even if you aren’t quite ready to publish, get them NOW!

3. Avoid too many pen names

There are several valid and legitimate reasons for having multiple pen names. Just know that for each name, you start all over from scratch to build a brand and platform. You’ll need a website, social media accounts, and emails for each one. Is it worth it?

In most cases, differentiating genres is not a good reason to create a new pen name. Readers usually find you through the genre they like best. If they like you, they will give your other genres a try. A good website will let them know what to expect in each genre.

The only time it truly serves you to use a second (or third) name is if one area of writing would offend established readers or damage your reputation. For example, if you write both Middle Grade and soft porn, use a pen name. Or if you write academic papers on quantum physics and Regency Romance, use a pen name or your academic peers will snicker behind your back.

4. Get a website

You need an online presence with a permanent URL and an easily searchable website or blog. (Facebook and Twitter are add-ons, not adequate author sites.) Unless you know you are only going to write one book, your URL should be your name (see tips 1 & 2), not your book title. Not only will a website help people find you, but it gives them something to link to when they want to share your books with their friends.

While you can start with a free site, I recommend a hosted domain as soon as possible. Free sites can change policies or close down at any time. At the very least, point that URL from tip #2 to your free blog, and use that URL on business cards and book bios.

5. Post your books on your site

You would think this is one of those “duh” statements, but you would be surprised at how many author sites and blogs I go to that have absolutely no mention of their books. At all.

Somewhere on your site, you need a tab or button that says BOOKS. A simple list of each book and/or series in suggested reading order is the minimum. Ideally, each book would have its own page with a large cover image, title, release date, publisher, ISBN #, genre category, description, and links to where the books can be purchased. Keep this information current!

6. You need an About Page

Readers want to know who you are, not just what you write. A good website always has an About page with a photo, a short professional bio that bloggers and news media can use, and perhaps a longer bio just for fun. It also needs to include links to all of your active social media sites and a way to contact you.

Your photo should be a nice image that will clearly identify you everywhere. Use this same image on your Amazon, GoodReads, Facebook, Twitter, and all profiles where you are acting as your author identity. Even if you’re camera shy, you can come up with something.

This isn’t to say you can’t change it up sometimes or use more casual photos on social media. The goal is to have your readers recognize you, no matter where they find you.

7. Email

You MUST have a way for people to contact you. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to reach an author for an interview, presentation, or tell them they’ve won an award, only to discover there is no way to contact them.

As to the email address itself, no self-respecting author would use [email protected]. If at all possible, it should be your name as it appears on your books, [email protected].

These seven simple tips will make it easier for readers, new and old, to find your newest releases.

Karlene Browning is a publisher, editor, typesetter, and book designer at www.Inksplasher.com