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Do you know the Someday Syndrome?
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| July 6, 2016
Oakland, California
Hi Friend,
Confession time: I'm an avid TV watcher. I often put of re-runs of Leverage, Castle, the NCIS shows, or action movies in the background while I edit or market.
I've day dreamed about writing my own TV show, but the dream has always stayed in Someday file.
You know the one? Mine lives in my file cabinet behind the Ideas folder and Story Prompts. Where does your Someday file live?
I didn't have a clear idea for a TV show until recently. It came to me while walking, so I recorded it in Evernote, my new Someday file.
Then I learned about a fun creativity challenge that got me in gear...
Do you have a creative project that you've being wanting to do start? That scares you a little? That maybe you think you can't do because... ?
I was inspired to turn my Someday project into a Now project because of a challenge my friend and fellow author Rachael Herron shared. I want to share this fun challenge with you.
Rachael calls her challenge the #10minjumpstart because it's about jumpstarting your creativity. She encourages us to do 10 minutes a day -- that's it -- on your daring creative project for 30 days, with days off if you need them. The goal is to do 10 minutes a day for 30 days and take action on the project that thrills you.
Rachael has all the details on her Patreon page here. Or https://www.patreon.com/rachael. Patreon is a great way to get ongoing funding directly from your fans. I spend $1 per month and get access to all of Rachael's essays.
In my case, I've decided to spend my 10 minutes, and sometimes more, on drafting a TV pilot proposal. I've been at it for a week, with a few days off, and it's been fun and empowering. You can follow our progress with the hashtag #10minjumpstart on Twitter.
Your Someday project can be today. Maybe it's that novel you've been putting off. Maybe it's something else!
Your turn: What creative project can you spend 10 minutes on every day?
Hit reply and let me know. Thanks!
♥
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UPCOMING APPEARANCES
Registration is open for the Emerald City Writer's Conference this October 14-16, Seattle, Washington. And I'll be there, teaching the Master Class Friday, October 15 on "Rapport and Specificity: Enrich and Enliven Your Writing and Your Career" the day before the conference. Requires separate registration.
I'll also be doing a workshop "7 Essential Keys to Planning Your Novel For Pantsers" during the conference.
Hit reply and let me know if you'll be attending the conference and/or the readers' event. I'd love to say "Hi!" in person.
New! I'll be presenting at the Olympia, WA RWA chapter on Thursday night, October 14. Let me know if you'll be there. More details coming soon! |
| | | Registration is now open for our Indie Self-Publishing Course!
We'll be teaching you how to actually upload to the vendors: Kindle, Nook, iBook, Kobo, Smashwords, and Draft2Digital.
This class is great for those who are a little nervous about the technology. We'll also discuss the importance of choosing the right keywords, categories, and cover the basics of how to write a good book description and author bio.
Lastly, we will cover the pros and cons of indie publishing so authors can take this path with their eyes open.
Dates: July 27-August 16, 2016 (3 weeks/21 days)
Delivery method: 3 live classes, 90-120 minutes each; lots of short lessons, video tutorials, templates, and worksheets; and a private Facebook group. (All live course calls are Tuesdays 5pm PT/8pm ET.)
Cost: $129
*Students/members: Be sure to use your coupon code.
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♥
Annual Plan Your Novel: 30-Day Writing Challenge course Join us for our Third Annual Plan Your Novel Course!
This course is designed for the writer with a life.
In our 30-Day Writing Challenge, we will help you think and write through the steps to create your novel — from character development to plot structure to story themes and world building — so that you can start NaNoWriMo prepared.
This class is good for you:
-- If you have never written a novel, and have always wanted to, and still feel lost on how to go from brilliant idea to The End, then you will be stretched in new and different ways.
-- If you’re an experienced novelist, with 1 or 2 completed or partially completed novels under your bed. You may find this course structured in a way that’s new to you and yet familiar.
-- If you have 5 or more unfinished novels sitting in a drawer, and always hit that sagging middle and lose focus or lose interest, this course will help you dream up exciting ways to torture, I mean challenge, your characters all the way to the resolution of the story.
This course structure:
Week 1: Elevator Pitch & Short Synopsis
Week 2: Get to Know Your Main Characters
Week 3: Story Plot & World Building
Week 4: Scene-by-Scene Outline & Plotting
Dates: Oct. 1-31, 2016
Delivery method: 4 live classes, 90 minutes each; 30+ lessons; lots of video tutorials, templates, and worksheets; and a private Facebook group. (All live course calls are Tuesdays 5pm PT/8pm ET. Option for 1-1 support.
Cost: $219
**Click here if you'd like to be notified when registration open.**
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| | | MARKETING CORNER
Authors have been asking me about some of my marketing strategies. So I thought I'd share 3 promotions I'm doing now, why I'm doing then, the cost, how I found these opportunities, and how I'm promoting them. That way you can get some ideas for that might work for you.
#1 As the image shows, I've joined in a huge YA sci-fi/fantasy giveaway for the month of July. I found out about it because I follow Ripley's Booklist, a book promotion list for Young Adult/New Adult science fiction and fantasy. I write YA fantasy, so this giveaway is a good fit. The benefit to the 22 authors participating is that we get the emails! Already 1100 entries have been submitted, and the giveaway closes at the end of the month.
I paid $5 that went toward the big $115 gift card prize and I'll be sending a signed paperback to 1 winner. I promote via my blog and then share that on Twitter (using BufferApp, a free scheduling tool), Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.
I made the square image on Canva that I'm sharing here specifically for Instagram, 800x800 pixels. Ripley just created a Goodreads event for the giveaway that I'm inviting my Goodreads connections to, and she may create a Thunderclap at the end of the month for a final push.
#2 Next, I joined in the annual July Smashwords Sale. I've discounted all my books there to 50% off. I like this Smashwords sale because people can download the ebook format of their choice.
There's no cost to me. I'm promoting with a blog post that I'm sharing on social media, same as above. Results so far: I have not had any sales, yet, but I've just started promoting.
#3 These first two I took action to participate in. This third opportunity was awarded to me: My novel Henrietta The Dragon Slayer was chosen as Book of the Week by Helene McCusker of @BookedPR, a British PR agency, who runs a weekly Twitter chat called #theauthorhour.
Cost: My time to participate in this weekly 1-hour chat. Benefit: I get a cool badge to share, and someone else is promoting me for free for one week.
Here's my post for this promotion. And come join us today on Twitter for #theauthorhour 12noon PT/3pm ET/8pm BST. To participate, share about your book or a pice of writing advice, and use the hashtag #theauthorhour and the handle @theauthorhour.
I'm on a budget like many of you; and I need to build my list and get my name out there. I believe in my work and want it to find its audience.
BONUS: On that note, I just signed up for another genre-focused contest giveaway that is still open to more authors. If you write sweet romance, as I do, (yes, I write in 2 genres) you get sign up here.
Details: Sweet Romance Summer Sweepstakes, presented by Ryan Zee Author Marketing. The contest will run from Monday, July 25 to Monday, August 1. The deadline to confirm participation is Monday, July 18. Contact ryan@ryanzee.com with any questions. He's very friendly and was fast to respond to my questions.
Contest Fee: Sweet Contemporary Romance = $50.00
Highlight Your Book Cover with a Personalized Contest Graphic = $5.00
Invite Readers to Follow You on Bookbub after Signing Up = $5.00
I paid the $60. If you want to participate too, fill out the form here. (Direct link: https://form.jotform.com/61858836226163.) Let them know I sent you in the "Who referred you to this contest?" box, and I'll be credited next time I participate.
Why I signed up: The opportunity to grow my email list with responsive, high quality subscribers. Also because Ryan will be promoting it well, including via Facebook ads, writing our marketing copy, and helping the authors get ready.
What marketing are you doing for your novels in the next 4-8 weeks?
Hit reply and let me know.
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Have a Happy and Creative Week!
And thanks for showing up for yourself and doing your creative work!
All our best,
Beth & Ezra
beth@bethbarany.com
Barany School of Fiction
Writer's Fun Zone blog
PS. If you found this newsletter useful, please forward it to your friends,
writing buddies, and people who you know want to write a novel, but
gosh darn it, haven't yet.
♥
ABOUT US
Beth and Ezra Barany
are award-winning, best-selling novelists, with 18 books and 5 awards to their name. They are teachers who have worked
with over 100 authors to help them get their books written and
published and into the hands of their readers.
♥ Happily married for over 15 years, we’re passionate about writing, storytelling, and guiding authors to achieve their dreams.
♥ We
offer coaching, change work sessions, book marketing coaching (Beth)
and cover design (Ezra), all for genre novelists. More at bethbarany.com.
WHAT I DO + WHY
I support writers and aspiring authors through classes and workshops, articles, books, group programs, and consultations with private clients.
I also help authors because I walk my talk; everything I or my teachers teach is based in real experience and matured through the school of hard knocks.
I believe that the creative life works better with play and love, so with playful joy, I offer you goodies to support you in your writer's adventure.
ABOUT BETH BARANY
An
award-winning novelist, certified creativity coach and Master NLP
Practitioner, Beth runs Writer's Fun Zone, a blog for and by writers,
and her recently launched school for novelists, the Barany School of
Fiction.
In
her downtime, Beth reads, colors, watches movies with her sweetie,
travels, and has coffee with friends and family. And plays with her cat, gardens, and walks. And sleeps. She loves sleep.
Photo Credit: by c. 2014 Vivienne McMaster
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