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Writing Series

Polysyndeton- Its Effects and Causes

Being able to pull your readers into your story, invoking the deepest emotions within them and making your words more captivating and compelling, is a skill every writer seeks to achieve. Polysyndeton is a literary device that aids writers in curating captivating pieces of story-writing, speechwriting, contemporary writing, and can also be found in our everyday dialogues.

Polysyndeton is a Greek word, coined from ‘Poly’ and ‘Syndeton’ to mean ‘bounding together’. As its meaning, the term acts as a coordinating conjunction to give more feelings to your words, creating a list-like effect in order to pace your words, increase tension and emotions in your readers, and largely adds emphasis to words to ignite deep emotions within your readers.

Polysyndeton may be seen as a grammatical error (especially if your editing depends largely on Proofreading software), however, the literary device is indeed a valid use-age of words and can be found in the Bible, and other Shakespearean languages. 

      CONTENT:

  • Polysyndeton prolongs moments of reflections in your readers
  • It conveys overwhelming emotions within your readers
  • Polysyndeton adds emphasis to your words 

Polysyndeton are coordinating  conjunctions that help give more logical sequence to our words and speeches, examples of polysyndeton are; and, or, but, nor, so, for, nor. Below are some of the effects using polysyndeton in our word structuring. 

  1. Polysyndeton Prolongs Moments of Reflection in Your Readers :

Using multiple polysyndeton in a sentence or writing, highly changes the flow of your sentence structure. It breaks up the syntax of your words, leaving your reader with no other options than to pay close attention to each sentence building, drawing them deep into each word used.

Your reader ultimately has no other option than to be engrossed by the progression of your words, giving them the chance to reflect on their emotions. These feelings of reflection leave your readers hanging to your words and prolonging moments of reflection. 

  1. It Conveys Overwhelming Emotions within your Reader

When used in an emotional setting, the effect polysyndeton has on your readers can be very overwhelming, almost like a mental picture of listening to a speaker recalling an emotional time in their lives, hearing the sound of their voice breaking due to the intense emotions in them.

Polysyndeton when used to express emotional feelings or circumstances can awaken deep emotions in your reader, ranging from joy, happiness, sadness, curiosity, anxiety, etc 

  1. Polysyndeton adds Emphasis to Your Words

By the frequent use of polysyndeton, readers are easily entertained and highly influenced by your piece. It creates emphasis on words using a list-like effect, giving each word a valuable note of importance, thus, making your piece engaging and attention grabbing. It becomes difficult to lose your reader’s attention.

The device’s empathic abilities prick up the ears of your readers, making it a popular word choice amongst speechwriters.

For years the use-age of the literary device has been very popular, both in speechwriting and also in our everyday conversations.

Though it may be argued to be a simple literary and rhetorical  device, there’s no arguing the effects it has on improving our writing structure and tone. Its descriptive details and list-like effects is a proven powerful tool in literature and speechwriting. 

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Writing Series

Simple Steps To Writing Compelling Prologues


An effective and compelling prologue can be the perfect portal through which your reader can get a brief view into the world of your book, and the unimaginable feelings that come with it—but only if you get it right. Writing a compelling prologue can get tricky as you’re stuck between giving too much away or giving too little.

Prologues are mainly the introduction to the world of your book, novel or play. If you get it right, your prologue will pique the interest of your reader, setting a promising mood. However, this is not easy as it may seem.

Most writers are held down by the fear of giving too much away and losing their readers’ interest or held down by the fear of not giving enough and also losing their readers’ interest as well. Thus, the idea of writing a prologue can seem quite an intimidating challenge many would rather not partake in. 

This article helps to shed light on 5 simple, yet effective steps to employ in writing compelling prologues. 

  1. Consider your reasons to writing a prologue 
  2. Focus on the main characters 
  3. Consider your reader’s takeaways
  4. Subtle Foreshadowing 
  5. Avoid Info-dumping 

If you’re curious about ways that you can write compelling prologues that grab your reader’s attention then I’d advise you to continue reading!

  1. Consider Your Reasons To Writing a Prologue 

The why factor largely comes into play when deciding to write a prologue. Most writers do not have a strong enough reason to want to write a prologue and this can greatly affect the quality and effect of the prologue.

For some writers, having a prologue is the compensation for having a weak first few chapters in their book. This is because they feel if the prologue is good enough, the quality of the first few chapters are substituted for a prologue, which shouldn’t be so. If your prologue is good, it is only right for your follow up chapters to be equally as good, in order to not disappoint your readers. 

Noting the reason to write a prologue highly affects the quality of your prologue. The reason for writing a prologue varies between writers. Some reasons may be;

  • The need to introduce a certain character not mentioned in the first few chapters in order to create the right book suspense
  • Set the right mood around the central theme of the book
  • Highlighting on a moment of the book’s climax 

Whatever unique reason why you decide to write a prologue for your book, establishing that factor will help you towards tailoring your prologue to suit the interest of your readers.

  1. Focus On the Main Characters 

Focusing on the main characters of your book is equally as important when writing a prologue. Even if you’re seeking out to give general information about the theme or  location, or to simply give your readers information about your book, it is important to take note of character mentions. This helps pull your readers into the world you create, making them explore the world your book creates, even if it is briefly.

  1. Consider Your Readers Takeaways 

Prologues provides writers with the opportunity to establish the key themes of their books in the minds of their readers. In this regard, to effectively establish that, you must ensure to not derail from highlighting your key theme.

Focusing on your key themes helps you heighten the curiosity of your readers. If the theme of your story is an intriguing one, this will certainly heightened the anticipation of your reader. This makes your reader anticipate what the rest of the book or story promises. 

Noting that whatever you choose to expose in your prologue will have a great significance in the minds of your readers, this guide will help tailor exactly what you want your readers to take-away from reading the prologue. 

  1. Subtle Foreshadowing 

Remember not to give too much. It is difficult to create a balance between giving too much and giving too little, but with the right attention that can be achieved.

Forshadowing is quite delicate with prologues as this could either make your readers continue reading or drop your book back on the shelf. Remember that the need to pique the interest of your readers is your ultimate goal. 

In writing your prologue don’t be tempted to give too much information and ruin the suspense for your readers. Whatever information you are tempted to give, it shouldn’t ruin the anticipation and curiosity of your readers. 

  1. Avoid Info-dumping 

If you are writing as a startup or an experienced writer, you should note that sharing too much information in your prologue is a heavy risk you shouldn’t take.

As a writer, most times we get excited and eager to share so much ( especially when you’re proud of your book), but if you are looking to Make Money Through Writing, you might want to keep the prologue as intriguing as possible.

Avoid info-dumping thereby overwhelming your readers with too much information with just the prologue. 

Remember that the prologue is an introduction and not the main story itself. 

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Writing Series

How To Set Effective Writing Goals

Setting goals always seems like a very fun and liberating moment for everyone. Setting goals help you plan for success and make you feel like you’re in a better place in life and ready to take on the world. 

It is one thing to set goals and another to achieve them. It often takes the best of us with all the willpower to really get to ticking off our boxes we carefully mapped out. 

Setting writing goals is just as liberating as setting any other goals such as life goals, yearly goals or even our day to day goals. It is just as liberating and can get just as frustrating. It doesn’t matter how long you have been in the writing business, whether you are a professional or just starting up. 

Setting writing goals takes a lot of courage to see to execution and achieving them oftentimes requires you to look inwards, evaluating your stance in life and your visions for your career. It takes both mental and physical strength to set your goals, no matter how big or small they may seem. You should evaluate where you currently are in your writing career, where you want to be and most importantly how much you want to be where you want to be. All these should be your motivating factor as it can get busy juggling fulfilling your writing goals and your everyday life activities. 

Setting writing goals requires one to be intentional about how much effort you put into it becoming an actuality. Whether you have set out to write a novel, a biography, memoirs, an academia or simply casual writing for fun to perfect your skill, whatever goals you have set out to achieve must be realistic and should certainly lead you to achieving your dreams. 

This article carefully breaks down effective steps to take in your writing-goals setting and be on your way to having a successful writing career. 

“Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.” — Stephen A. Brennan

CONTENT 

  1. Know who you are
  2. Outline a long-term writing ambition
  3. Break your goals into smaller focus 
  4. Set realistic goals 
  5. Be flexible in setting your goals
  6. Celebrate your little wins 

Setting writing goals not only help you become a more focused writer, it also hones your skills and makes you a better person overall. These steps serve as guidelines for setting writing goals and achieving them. 

  1. KNOW WHO YOU ARE 

This has to do with looking inwards and knowing your personality and how you respond to goal setting. Everyone responds differently to the idea of setting goals and our attitude towards achieving them varies as well. 

In this regard, when setting writing goals, it should be taken into cognizance of your personality traits as well as your writing pattern, such as; 

  • What kind of person are you? : if you are someone who is very detailed in setting and meticulous about how you achieve your goals. 
  • How do you react to the ideas of setting goals?: your reaction to the idea of goal setting and your attitude in achieving them. This could be either enthusiasm or dread.
  •  How tight is your schedule? 
  • Can you make out time for yourself in your schedule? 
  • What type of writing do you do? 
  • What type of writer do you wish to become? 
  • Does goal setting motivate or stress you out?

All of these questions help you discover your personality and your writing pattern, they give clarity on what grounds to make certain goals upon and largely help ensure how timely you achieve your goals. Fitting your goals setting around your personality helps make the process easy and realistic. 

  1. OUTLINE A LONG-TERM WRITING AMBITION 

Outlining is the perfect way to give structure to your goals and takes you a step closer to achieving them. This is you writing down whatever your goals are. Long term goals tend to look scary when thought of, but by putting them down in your private notes, you are taking a step closer to achieving them. It doesn’t matter how unrealistic you think they look at first glance or the judgment and opinions of others. 

Taking note of your ideas and visions help set you in the right direction of confidently achieving them. It doesn’t matter how big they appear or how little you feel they are, do you wish to finally  complete your novel that is long overdue? Is your goal to become a New York best seller? Land speaking engagement deals from your writing? Pitching your book ideas to publishing houses Literary Agents and publishing houses, or finally getting to Self-Publishing your own book? The list goes on and on. 

Whatever long-term goals you have set out to achieve, take a moment to always note them down. This could be broken down into various categories to include;

  • Project Oriented goals
  • Publication Oriented goals
  • Personal growth goals 
  • Individual habit goals. 

Fitting your outlining into categories help you properly define what you wish to achieve and how to go about achieving them. 

  1. BREAK YOUR GOALS INTO SMALLER FOCUS

Prioritizing is the best way to go! Don’t overwhelm yourself with bulky ideas. When ideas overspill, the chances of ever getting them achieved is very low. 

In setting goals, learn to do things in phases. Of course, in their order of importance. In executing goals, the plan is to carefully map out action plans to achieve your ultimate long-term goals. This should be done taking into consideration their importance and what comes first m. 

Each phase/plan should be given the utmost attention until completion before moving on to the next plan of action. 

One will be faced with different processes or phases in achieving set goals, treating each process or phase independently as a goal itself helps you give it your very best. 

  1. SET REALISTIC GOALS 

As much as we’d like to tell ourselves that no goal is too big or small, setting realistic goals that you can actively work towards is the best way to follow. 

The best way to make our goals more realistic is to break them down into smaller bits of tasks. There are various factors to consider when setting realistic goals; 

  • Specificity: being specific about your goals make them more realistic. Setting practical goals make them actionable. Be specific about what you want to achieve. 
  • Measurable : Try setting measurable goals as this helps make them more realistic. 
  • Relevant: your goals should be relevant to you and your individual overall growth. Your goals should get you closer to achieving your dreams. Relevancy helps make your goals more realistic and achievable. 
  • Time-Bound: Be time conscious when setting goals. Giving deadlines to your goals makes them realistic and achievable. It also helps you plan properly on how to effectively execute them and move on to other goals. 
  1. BE FLEXIBLE IN SETTING YOUR GOALS 

Expect nothing while you hope for the best. Do not be heavily emotionally attached to your goals. Be open to the possibility of obstacles and learn to prepare your mind to adapt to changes in plan. You should prepare your mind when setting goals, of the possibility of unforeseen circumstances and be flexible to the mechanisms you employ in achieving your goals. 

Things may not go according to plan, circumstances may arise and it may seem your plan is taking longer than you expected to achieve, unexpected life events may delay your goals from becoming a success, learn how to adapt to changes in plan and be flexible when setting goals. 

  1. CELEBRATE YOUR LITTLE WINS

This cannot be overemphasized. Learn how to give yourself a tap on the back for a job well done as you go on to greater heights. Your little win is  what makes your overall success. 

It is easier for us to condemn our mistakes than it is for us to celebrate our efforts. Understand that the decision to plan and set goals towards becoming a better writer is itself a success. It takes courage for one to recognize the need to become a better person and to want to perfect a skill. It takes courage to evaluate your current stance in your writing career and put in the efforts to become better. 

It is admirable to find time from the exhaustion of everyday life to become a better writer or to achieve dreams. It doesn’t matter how slow the process may seem, it doesn’t matter the judgements and criticisms of others, it doesn’t matter if your goal is taking longer than you planned, or if you get to write fewer words a day than you’d hope to write. The most important is the fact that you have set out on a path to be ahead of where you currently are and that is worth celebrating a million times over. 

Nobody said it was easy, but you’ve found it worthy and for each milestone you accomplish, learn to celebrate yourself for it. It makes the journey so much better. 

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Author's guide to book publicity

Book Marketing Vs Publicity: Knowing the difference

One would think as an author, you’d know all the available strategies to get your book to your target audience, and of course the differences between each strategy applied and in extension, their impact. 

One of the age-long misconceptions among authors is the differences between book marketing and publicity- many still think they are the same thing, when they obviously aren’t. Knowing the difference between book marketing and publicity is a great tool to your arsenal of strategies as this will help you fully grasp its importance in your author’s journey and how to make the right approach for meeting your goals as an author and measuring its progress. 

Book marketing and publicity, of course, both have their unique benefits and if you’re wondering which is a better approach? Well, the answer to that complex question is equally complex. However, to help point you to the right direction on what possible strategy to follow, we have outlined three major differences between book marketing and publicity. 

WHAT IS BOOK MARKETING ?

There is a very thin line that differentiate the concept of book marketing and publicity. When a brief explanation of what they both mean, we hope this is a start to your discovery journey of how different both concepts are.

Book marketing is all activities carried out towards creating awareness of your book, employing all Successful Tips Towards Book Publicity: mostly in the book markets( online and offline). This is done to generate massive book sales. 

WHAT IS BOOK PUBLICITY ?

Book publicity on the other hand, is all the activities that are carried out in order to attract the right attention to your book. The goal for this is to connect with the right media channels to in order to offer more opportunities for earned media/editorial coverage. This could either be done by a publicist after signing a deal with the aid of your Literary Agents

CONTENT: 

  • Book Publicity: A gateway for author credibility 
  • Book marketing provides control

The most self-accomplishing moment for every author is having their book published and ready to go into the world. That is often considered a big deal, whether as a startup or a professional. That moment is often associated with anxiety as most authors are overwhelmed by all available strategies to put in place to achieve success with their book promotion. 

At this point, you should have at the back of your mind, when promoting your book, that while book marketing and book publicity-as a book promotion tool, may seem similar, they are not. Educating yourself on the differences between both types of book promotion, will make everything easier ( this includes budgeting, time frame, the energy put into promoting your book and the overall success of your book). 

Let’s dive into the two basic differences between book marketing and book publicity in hopes that this makes it easy to design your book promotion plan. 

Book Publicity: A Gateway For Author Credibility

As mentioned earlier, the goal for book publicity is to connect with the right and relevant media channels, by the publicists in order to secure earned editorial coverage on behalf of the author. 

Here, your publicist organizes book conferences, where they present the work of the author to an array of media channels, magazines, broadcast channels, newspaper channels and all available channels that gives publicity to the author and his work, which eventually leads to interviews, Q&A sessions, giving credibility to the author. 

Book publicity is mainly focused on the media appearance of an author in turn  driving more opportunities to the author. 

Book Marketing Provides Control

In a wide contrast to what book publicity is targeted at, book marketing focuses on the promotional activities that ensures that your book is available to as many bookstores as possible. This, unlike with book publicity, gives a higher level of control to the author. The author exercises his control over the book through various means; launching an author’s website, advertising on available social media platforms all of which are targeted at book sales.

One distinct advantage to all of these means of book promotion, is the provision of analytical means: conversion rates, analyzing click rates and thus by measuring these tools (paid and unpaid), you can evaluate and formalize your strategy. 

FINAL THOUGHT:

While the differences between book marketing and publicity is glaring, both mean well for the author. They are promotional tools done to drive visibility of the author and their work. 

Where book publicity relies on trends, and editorial coverage is dependent on the editorial calendar; book marketing relies on the sales statistics and of course, the consumer market, both are ultimately done to give an author a lead way in the competitive market. 

It is advisable that both promotional tools, be efficiently employed for maximum result. The book market grows large each day with the competition on a rise as well. Many authors are actively competing for the same market space as you are, thus, you’d need all the help of all the tools you can get. 

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Author's guide to book publicity Writing Series

Self-Publishing Vs Traditional Publishing: Pros and Cons

Just as it is with everything else, (writing or non-writing), there are pros and cons to self-publishing and traditional publishing, and it is paramount to go through them all and adequately make plan around them. These pros and cons serve as a guide to understanding which path best suits your needs and goals as an author. 

Having a book meet its targeted audience is the ultimate delight of every author-regardless of whatever else they seek to achieve as subsidiary. 

This post thoroughly goes over the pros of self-publishing and traditional publishing, highlighting all of its benefits, and as well their cons, to give a author a better grasp of the path to follow, in order to achieve their book success. 

CONTENT

  1. PROS OF SELF-PUBLISHING 
  • Creative control
  • Quicker Publications 
  • More Royalties 
  • Control over production right.
  1. PROS OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING 
  • No financial burden
  • More author exposure 
  • More recognition.
  1. PROS OF SELF-PUBLISHING 

Creative Control

As a self-published author, one of the many benefits you get to enjoy is the absolute control and involvement in all that concerns production and its processes. 

Self-published authors, although they get to work with other professionals in various departments (such as editing, book cover designs, marketing team, etc), the ultimate decision rests on your shoulders and all things work out exactly how you intend for them to.

 You get the privilege of exploring you creativity, not just with the book content, but also get to work with your team of professionals in deciding what book cover design best resonate with your genre and the message of your book. You get involved with professionals who understands your target audience and they work together to achieve your goals with little to no manipulations.

This is one of the many privileges traditionally published authors do not get to experience. As a traditionally published author, you get little say on matters regarding marketing and publications, and all the other factors that are involved in the book production. 

Professionals from various departments in the publishing houses get to run the show and you would have to consider all of their opinions. 

Quicker Publications

Going down the traditional route, you get to have the best hands on the job- which involves a team of professionals in the editing department, professional designer and as well the best marketing professionals. While this sounds like a dream come through for every author, the realization is that, a collaboration this big will likely take up more time than is intended. 

It can be time-consuming setting up meetings between these teams and also taking into consideration the fact that your book is certainly not all they get to work on, the possibility of your book fitting into their tight time schedule is also pretty slim. 

Publishing houses takes up hundreds of book titles to work on per year, thus, it is very possible your book gets little attention and you may have to wait for over a year before your book gets published. Such slow processes can greatly affect your publication timeline and the idea of it can be frustrating.

However, as a self-published author, your publication timeline solely depends on how quick you and your professional team gets to make decisions on your book. It is easier and simpler to schedule meetings and meet up to deadlines. 

More Royalties

This is one of the highest advantages enjoyed by self-published authors. Having to enjoy more royalty rate than traditionally published authors. 

Sadly, traditionally published authors get little percentage of royalties ( as little as 5%, in some cases, 20%, depending on various factors), which you get to split with your agent. 

The royalty percentages received depends on the format of your book; whether it is a hardcover or a paperback ( hard covers gets more percentages than paperbacks).

However, a satisfactory pros of self-publishing is the fact that you get to receive as high as 50-70% of your royalties. 

Control Over Production Rights. 

Another major pros to self-publishing is that you get to keep the production rights. Meaning you have the right to publish in whatever format. 

Traditionally published authors are made to sign up their production rights to the publishing houses. Meaning the publishing houses get to publish the manuscript in any format (either as an audiobook or film).

With traditional publishing, the outcome of this bargaining rests on the shoulders of your literary agents and how well they strike a good deal. 

Self-published authors don’t have to worry about such things as signing up production rights and can always independently sell subsidiary rights when the opportunity presents itself.

  1. PROS OF TRADITIONAL PUBLISHING 

No Financial Burden

This is a huge relief for authors as it can cost quite a lot to get a book published. Traditional published authors are essentially off the hook financially and do not have to worry about the financial risk involved. 

You not only get to enjoy the benefits of having experienced professionals on your job, but also you get to be free from all financial burden. Traditional published authors are not expected to pay for anything- not even for the services of the high demand professionals working on their book publication ( which covers editing, marketing, other technical issues, designs, etc). 

Unfortunately, one of the cons of self-publishing is that all financial risks and responsibility rests on your shoulders and of course you get to cover the cost of professionals that you hire to work with on your book production. 

More Author Exposure 

As an author, if you’re looking to get more exposure for your work and as an individual, you probably should go down the traditional publishing route as this promises to give just that. 

The mainstream exposure is one of the pros traditionally published authors gets to enjoy. It goes without saying that publishing houses has all the right connections and the budget to get you there.

Your book as a higher possibility of getting in bookstores and all the right media houses quicker than you can do so by yourself as a self-published author. 

You get more speaking engagements deals and more publicity with the backings of publishing houses. 

More Recognition 

With more publicity comes higher recognition. This pros sadly doesn’t get to be enjoyed by self-published authors-atleast not as much.

It is difficult for self-published authors to compete with traditional published authors in the aspect of literary recognitions and awards. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

It is a complex question asking which path is better, as they both have their benefits and disadvantages. However, these pros and cons provides a guideline in choosing which best suits your needs.

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Author's guide to book publicity Writing Series

Self-Publishing Vs Traditional Publishing


It is a common thought for every author as to whether to go down as a self-published author or to traditionally publish. It is more common than one would like to admit. After all, everyone wants a bigger share of the pie. While every author wants to enjoy the benefits of their ‘hard work’, they would rather avoid the responsibilities that come with it. Hence, looking the traditional way. 

Whether you take the path of a self-published author or you’d rather go down as a traditionally-published author, is entirely up to you. Everyone has a unique reason for the decisions they make. While some authors confidently know which they would rather be, a larger percentage still wonders which would be suitable for them.

In this article, we’d be addressing the larger pool of authors who still wonder if going the traditional publishing way is the better option to self-publishing. 

WHO IS A SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHOR?

Before diving fully into what best suits your needs, getting a firm grasp of both contexts gets the job half way done. 

Self published authors are authors who are in charge of their book production process, taking autonomy and risks of production. 

Just about anybody can self-publish, ranging from a long list of;

  • Start up authors 
  • Small Business owners
  • Doctors
  • Lawyers
  • Business coaches
  • Fitness coaches
  • Financial managers
  • Business executives 
  • Business consultant 

WHO IS A TRADITIONALLY-PUBLISHED AUTHOR 

Traditionally-published authors relinquish their production rights to publishing houses, who in turn take full responsibility for all production processes. 

With traditional-publishing, it is more complicated than it seems, while it sounds like a good idea to have someone carry the production burden, it is very difficult to get a good offer on publication by publishers. Getting a good publishing deal has little success rate as the pool is very competitive with thousands of authors vying for the same opportunity as you are.

With traditional-publishing, the list of people who can get traditional-publishing deals includes;

  • Famous celebrities 
  • High ranking officials 
  • Political leaders/individuals 
  • Professional authors with a large number of audience/readers 
  • Individuals with high connections 

KEY DIFFERENCE

The key difference between self-publishing and traditional-publishing is simply the level of control both parties have over the rights and production of their books. 

With self-publishing, the author covers the cost of production ( which includes the editing cost, book cover design, book marketing, etc), enabling them to have over 70% of the royalties. 

Although the answer to the question, “should I self-publish or not?” begs for a very complex answer (it is one of the most asked questions here at BookTraction), we have curated a list of questions that would help you determine what better suits your desires as an author. 

Below are some questions that are targeted at giving some clarity to the uncertainty of what path to follow as an author seeking to publish a book. 

  1. Can I Land a Book Publishing Deal? 

As stated above, it is VERY difficult to get a book deal that meets your satisfaction. The long list of other authors seeking to get the same deal as you are makes this road a difficult one to follow. 

However, if you believe you have a good chance of signing a satisfactory deal with publishing houses, and finding yourself a good literary agent, (https://tinyurl.com/Literary-agents)then go for it. You should give traditional-publishing a shot if you think your chances are high. If not, you probably should self-publish.

  1. What Is Your End Goal As An Author?

This is another factor that deeply affects your publishing decisions. With each author, the ultimate aim or motive differs. If you wish to ;

  1. Make Quick Money : You probably should look at traditional-publications as it has a high chance of meeting your needs. 
  2. Gain Status/Validation : Authors who seek validation should most certainly traditional-publish. The credibility of the publishing house will look good on your bio/portfolio. 
  3. Writing Freedom: if you’re an author who doesn’t like to be told what to do, then you should most certainly self-publish. Self-publication gives you the right to your work and manuscript. Giving you full control and freedom over your work and the changes to it. 
  4. Writing Creativity: If you love being creative with your piece, exploring with your words and ideas, self-publication should certainly be at the top of your list. This gives you the opportunity to be creative with your writing, with no external manipulations.
  5. Making Impacts: Do you love making an impact? If so, then you should self publish. 
  6. Lasting Wealth: this goes without saying that self-publishing will certainly guarantee you this. With the large percentage of royalties, you are on your way to making higher income. 

While we hope this was helpful in giving clarity and a nod towards the right direction in making your decisions, you shouldn’t forget to do what works best for you. 

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Author's guide to book publicity Writing Series

Ways To Ensure And Measure a Successful Book Launch

Launching a book

Launching a book comes with a great sense of satisfaction-even before the actual launch itself. The months leading up to it is one of the most exciting and anxious moments in the life of an author. After long months of sleeplessness, you finally have your book resting on your palms, ready for launch-the moment couldn’t get any more beautiful can it? Well, in as much as it is a self-fulfilling moment to have your book finally ready for take off into the world, it is equally as important to get it right. 

For most authors, writing a book comes with varying reasons, ranging from

  • Making revenues from actual book sales
  • Looking to land speaking engagements 
  • Wanting to impress 
  • Sharing knowledge 
  • Selling value to the reader 
  • To sell a course and win consulting contracts

The list could go on as every author has a reason unique to them as to why they embark upon publishing a book. But one thing that is very common among every author, is getting to launch their book-and getting it done right of course. 

WHAT IS A BOOK LAUNCH?

Book launches are all forms of activity done by an author to promote the release of a book. Activities created to market and create awareness of a book usually to initiate sales.

Research shows that most people don’t feel very comfortable giving their money out right away, no matter how much value you’re selling to them. Most readers need to be cajoled into knowing who you are and the value you offer. 

Launching a book is a very delicate process for an author because things could go badly pretty quickly. Whatever your end goal is, the success is determined by the success of your book launch. A great book launch is the door that leads you to your ultimate goal. 

Ensuring a successful book launch most times goes beyond just having actual book sales, it helps support the customer/reader relationships you wish to build. The importance of a successful book launch cannot be overemphasized as it gives you the support you need at every stage of your authors’ journey moving forward. 

Successful book launches for every author is the gateway for:

  • Creating the right media connections and author awareness 
  • It boosts your portfolio as an author 
  • Helps you build an engaging social media platform. 

In recent times, it has been proven that the value of book launches aren’t the sales they provide-well, not at first, but all of the other benefits to enjoy from the publicity of your book ( authors awareness included). 

There are various ways to ensure that your book launch measures the right success and value, here we will be looking at three most powerful ways to achieve that. 

  1. Launching On Amazon.

Amazon is a powerful medium to get the right publicity and to launch your book also. The Amazon reviews are valuable and immensely build up an author’s portfolio. Most authors make the mistake in believing that launching your book on Amazon and having reviews should equate to making immediate sales. This isn’t right. Whilst the sales do come later on, its first value of launching on Amazon is to help introduce your work to potential readers/buyers. 

To better reshape your thoughts, think of this medium as providing the right tools you need in building your reader’s infrastructure rather than looking to make actual book sales. Launching your book on Amazon helps you build your author’s portfolio, authors website, social media channels or even building your newsletter. It aids in giving you more credibility as an author. The more reviews you have on Amazon the better. 

  1. Secure Media Placements

This is one of the perks that comes with a successful book launch and also one way you can measure the value of your book launch. 

The media placement aids in building your reader’s infrastructure, just as it is with launching on Amazon, it doesn’t ultimately lead to massive book sales. However, the more media placements you secure the better. 

Whilst landing media placements after a book is published is good, what you do with the opportunities is what truly matters. The question on how you intend to leverage on the media placements should be your guide;

  • How to leverage on each media placement to land yourself new opportunities 
  • How to use media placements to build on your portfolio 
  • How to ultimately ensure sales through early media placements 
  1. Social Media 

The advent of social media has been proven to be of a huge advantage to authors. The possibility seems endless and it has once more proven to be an important tool towards launching a book and thereafter providing much value after the book launch. 

Social media is the perfect avenue to exploit building up the right momentum to your book launch. The more contents you add on your social media channels, the easier way you get to figure out what content your readers contents to and you get to leverage on that. 

Building up to your book launch, social media is the right tool for your book publicity. You get to give a snippet of your book through graphics with brief quotes from your book, this way you keep your readers engaged and also learn ways to introduce your book to your audience. 

The social media channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc) provide the right audience for pitching your book and ultimately book sales. 

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Writing Series

Literary Agents:Why Writers Need Them

Literary agents.

Literary agents are the modern day superheroes coming to the desperate needs of writers. Gone are the days where only a handful of writers mail manuscripts to the little publishing agency scattered across cities in scanty numbers. 

Modern times comes with its vast numbers of writers and publishing agencies. With the high number of writers comes high competition. With everyone vying for the recognition of the same publishing agencies, it is wise for one to do their very best to stand out in the crowd of intelligent writers (https://tinyurl.com/Book-publicity).

We live in the times where there are thousands of amazing writers of the very same niche, and the chances of you getting the desired recognition by a publishing agency gets slimmer than you’d like to admit, and with that, comes the introduction of literary agents.

Literary agents serve as a middle man between writers and publishing agencies, they bridge the ever longing gap between writers seeking to land the right book deal and publishing agencies across the world. 

Literary agents get the job done with little to no stress at all, ensuring that your work not only gets published but also getting you the right book deal that ensures everyone happily smiles to the bank. If you are an author, seeking to get your book the right attention, and having your book traditionally published, then you may have to get yourself a literary agent. 

The work of literary agents cannot be overemphasized, and in this article we will be looking at who they are and why as an author, you should be on the lookout to getting yourself a literary agent. 

WHO IS A LITERARY AGENT?

A literary agent is someone working on behalf of an author, in order to ensure their book sells. Simply put, the work of literary agents is to make sure that as an author, your book makes massive sales. They put in all the extra work (marketing, editing, promoting, etc) aside from the actual writing of the book to ensure your book gets recognized by publishing agencies and also makes sales. 

Undoubtedly, there is more to writing than just thoughts to paper, or pen to paper. We can all agree that it takes a little extra work and time to get your book the proper amount of recognition and a little effort to ensure your book finds its way to millions of readers. If you’re looking to make money as an author(https://tinyurl.com/Money-through-writing), then do continue reading as you are about to find out just how important it is to have in your corner, a literary agent. 

CONTENT

  1. Key to publishing agencies 
  2. They are editors
  3. They sell your book just right 
  4. They are middlemen 

Literary agents are worth every penny and more that you invest into them. And below are some of the very important roles they play in the lives of authors. 

  1. Key To Publishing Agencies

In the olden times, writing and publishing was simple and easy. With the little handful of writers and publishing agencies, there was really no need for much work to be done as mails could be sent directly to publishing agencies with high hopes of acceptance and publications. The rejection rates were very minimal and no one’s feelings got hurt.

A few hundred years later, things are very different and more complicated than what they used to be. The increase in writers has made it quite a difficult task for publishing agencies to effectively sort out exactly what manuscript is accepted or rejected. There are more writers than there are publishing agencies. To equal this imbalance, there is a great need for literary agents. 

Literary agents help to control and regulate the amount of authors or books that are presented to publishing agencies. In this capacity, they save publishers the pain of having to go through millions of manuscripts from numerous authors. 

  1. They Are Editors

It is no surprise that most literary agents are also editors. They are equipped with editorial knowledge. Some book editors go on to become literary agents and with such background experience in editing, they go on to extend their duties as editors to the authors.

They not only seek to correct grammatical errors, but also seek out potentials of an author’s book in terms of its structure, concept, tone, writing style or the plot of the story. 

  1. They Sell Your Book Just Right

They are your golden ticket to the right book deal. With their editorial background, it also helps make this easy. As an editor, it is normal for them to know other editors on a personal level, and with this networking skill, it is a huge advantage to authors. 

They mingle with the right people on a daily basis and because of this they know the right people in the publishing industry and know exactly who to approach to get maximum results and the best offer.

  1. They Are Middlemen 

This is one of the very important roles played by literary agents, acting as middlemen between writers and publishing agencies. They act as a link of communication between the writers and publishing agencies.

Literary agents do not just help you source out the best publishing agency for your book, or help you secure a mouth watering book deal, they ensure a smooth process from the contract signing down to the publication of your book. They look out for their writers in situations where the publishing agencies fall short of what was expected or agreed upon. 

FINAL THOUGHTS.

It is a no-brainer that literary agents are worth every penny invested in them, most writers prefer going solo in hopes of having to themselves, the larger portion of the pie, however research has it that, writers with literary agents have more success rates when compared to those without.

However, if you are a self published writer, academic writer, or just a casual writer, there is really no need to have a literary agent as this is strictly by choice. Literary agents work best for writers looking to be traditionally published. 

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Writing Series

5 Best Paraphrasing Tools For Every Writer


Paraphrasing tools are very important to every writer, especially if you want to be the best in every way possible, ensuring all loopholes are strongly covered.

No matter how much of a good writer you think you are, the chances of having similar content out there somewhere is highly possible.

As a writer, staying original will keep you at the top rankings for a long time to come, and paraphrasing tools helps to ensure just that.

With each day that passes, multiple competitions sprout from every corner, evidently making the writing field a war zone, with everyone trying to stay recognized and relevant. And it would be a shame having your content flagged off as plagiarism. 

We are no longer living in the times where one’s plagiarism would go unnoticed, technology has ensured that is no longer so as search engines are now smarter and can easily detect and Flag off any work detected to be a product of plagiarism. 

As if writing isn’t hard enough, one has to deal with the headache of being worried of publishing a plagiarized work even if it is absolutely unintentional.

Paraphrasing tools exist to ensure that as a writer (professional or casual) your work stays as original as possible. It also ensures that your work comes out looking as polished and as professional as it can get. 

WHAT IS PARAPHRASING AND A PARAPHRASING TOOL? 

Well, one of the benefits of technological advancement to writers is the invention of AI powered tools that can help in rewriting your content in a different way while maintaining its original structure. These tools are called paraphrasing tools. 

Paraphrasing in its simplest explanation means rewriting or rewording. The expression of the same idea using different words. There are multiple ways to express yourself and as a writer, your words are your tools and strongest weapons, why not explore them? 

Paraphrasing tools undeniably makes the work easier for writers. Also known as a content spinner, it aids in generating new contents for a writer all while maintaining the same structure or idea of the original content.

If you’re worried about your writing not looking polished enough, paraphrasing tools helps to ensure that your writing looks professional, concise and readable all while giving your work originality.

There are multiple paraphrasing tools online, both paid and free versions, so the worry isn’t about searching for one. However, knowing the right paraphrasing that gets your rewriting job done in a satisfactory way can be a hassle.

To that regard, we have carefully researched and reviewed 5 of the best paraphrasing tools to make your work easier as a writer whether you are a student, professional writer, scholar or just a casual writer. 

CONTENT

  1. QuillBot 
  2. WordAI
  3. Champ Rewriter
  4. SpinBot
  5. SmallSEOTools

Each paraphrasing tool has been carefully reviewed and proven to be at the top of their game as they get the job done, so let’s dive in!

  1. QuillBot 

PRICE: $14.95 per month with a 3 days money back guarantee.

QuillBot has proven to be one of the best paraphrasing tools there is. Not only does this tool ensure that your work comes out looking professional and mistake-free, (https://tinyurl.com/Proofreading-tools) it’s AI also enhances your writing into a state of art work with its multiple word suggestions. It combines sentences in an intelligent manner. 

It is perfect for all fields of writing and can be used by any writer( students, professionals and academia). It has gone beyond to become a tool to look out for when preparing legal documents, emails and even theses. 

This paraphrasing tool is absolutely user-friendly and it also offers a free version! If you are looking to just have basic paraphrasing done, you absolutely should try out QuillBot.

You can also integrate this paraphrasing tool into your Google Docs or Microsoft word to make your paraphrasing process quite easy.

  1. WordAI

PRICE: $49.95 per month.

This paraphrasing tool is another tool to look out for. This tool has integrated, perfect tenses too that ensures your content consists of zero grammatical and typographical errors. If professionalism is your ultimate aim, then WordAI is your go-to.

It is a paraphrasing tool that is very common amongst SEO content writers and professional writers as well. 

  1. Chimp Rewriter 

PRICE: $16 per month 

This paraphrasing tool has you covered in all ramifications of writing. It has integrated in it ; bulk directory rewrites and anchor text spin. It provides room for attachments, making it easy to add pictures or videos to your content.

This is another tool that helps in assisting your context in looking professional and original. 

  1. SpinBot

PRICE: $11 per month 

This is the perfect paraphrasing tool choice for students as it is very user-friendly and doesn’t require much sign-in procedures.  It enables you paraphrase your content just by opening their website.

It is perfect for basic paraphrasing and provides multiple word suggestions. 

  1. SmallSEOTools 

PRICE: Free

This great paraphrasing tool is absolutely free! You don’t have to break your bank to afford it. If you’re in need of just basic paraphrasing, then you should definitely try out this free SmallSEOTools. 

You can paraphrase up to 2000 words with this tool and it provides you with a grammar and plagiarism checker ensuring your work is original to the very least bits. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

With these tools, you don’t have to worry about your work containing plagiarized content. They are perfect for rewriting your content for originality purposes while maintaining your original idea and structure. 

These paraphrasing tools are a must have for all writers as their possibilities are endless! 

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Author's guide to book publicity

How To Identify The Target Audience For Your Book

Your target audience are you keys to a successful book sales

Targeting the right audience for your book can be quite the hassle, especially when you have no clue how to begin your search. It is a bigger disappointment when you know how much of an amazing writer you are, you have all of the creativity overflowing and the right words in check, but, if only you know just how to pinpoint your target audience.

Knowing how to target the right audience for your book will not only help a great deal in getting your books onto the hands of your readers( or e-readers), it will also help a great deal with your marketing process, especially if you’re looking to make money through your writing(https://tinyurl.com/Make-money-through-writing).

As a writer, one of the prewriting exercises that is proven helpful to your writing process is identifying the right audience for your book.

Oftentimes, authors make the mistake of embarking on ‘broad writing’, but that has never helped anyone as it would only get you lost in a maze of words. Writing for a specific audience gives your book a structure and clarity, not to mention the massive success rate added to your name.

While it is okay to write a book without an audience in mind or writing without a care in the world about who your target audience is, you absolutely should not expect the book to do so well. If you want to make good sales from your book, then you better buckle up and start hunting for your target audience. 

WHO IS AN AUDIENCE?

While it looks like a great idea for your book to be centered around the right audience, without the slightest clue who an audience is, you might as well be building castles in the cloud. Who is an audience and how do you identify your target audience?

An audience is a group of people with a shared problem, experience or goals. Narrowing down as an author, your target audience is a group of people with a shared problem that your book solves.

This article provides four simple ways to make your search easy. Knowing how frustrating it can get seeking out the right audience for your book, we have carefully curated simple steps to take to ensure your book finds its way to the right audience.

CONTENT 

  1. Create a Reader Persona
  2. Think Beyond Your Primary Target 
  3. Identify With Books Similar to Yours
  4. Take Advantage Of Social Media.
Your target audience is your first step to making book sales

Your target audience might be closer than you think, all you have to do is look. These steps will certainly help you get the ball rolling in your quest for identifying your target audience.

  1. CREATE A READER PERSONA

Having a vague idea of who your audience might be sadly won’t cut it this time. Having an exact description will make the job so much easier. When identifying who your audiences are, a detailed description of them largely solves the problem. This includes knowing the age, sex, marital status, location, interest, etc. Knowing the right details helps you structure your book to satisfy the needs of your audience instead of just taking a shot in guessing.

For example, if you set out to write a book on dealing with the effects of menopause, your book should be targeted around women in the ages of 40-60. Those are the people you reach out to when marketing your book. 

In achieving this fit, you need to create a reader persona as a case study. This simply means, thinking like your reader.  Placing yourself in the position of a reader will help you identify all the needed factors and information for your book and how to better reach out to the right audience.

Creating a reader persona greatly helps you figure out which community you should market your book to. It also provides the right structure to your book. Thinking like your reader places you in a position where you provide the right information needed to solve a problem as it serves as a guide in your research process.

  1. THINK BEYOND YOUR PRIMARY TARGET 

In identifying with your audience it is also vital to broaden one’s horizons. While it is great reaching out to the right people or audience that needs your book, you should have at the back of your mind the possibility of extensions. 

For example, if you are a writer who specializes in children books, while your target audience are the children who reads your book, you need to have at the back of your mind the possibilities of the parents, teachers, child therapists who will also source out your book to learn a thing or two from it. 

Thinking beyond the primary target is also very vital when identifying with your target audience, this helps gives room to more accommodations not just in the content of your book, but also enlarges your book coverage in terms of sales. So, you should not tick that off your list!

  1. IDENTIFY WITH BOOKS SIMILAR TO YOURS

Identifying with your target audience may be harder than you imagined, to avoid the headache, sometimes the easiest thing to do is to identify with books and authors similar to your yours! Having a niche comes in handy when identifying with the right audience, chances are, writers with similar niches just as you probably shares the same audience just as you do!

The saying ‘the riches is in the niches’ couldn’t be more well said when viewed in this context. If identifying with the right audience seems to be a bother, all you have to do with network with the authors with similar books or niche as yourself and you stand a high chance of identifying with your target audience along the way.

  1. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA 

This is an age where being a writer isn’t such a difficult road to embark on. The times we live in has provided just another tool to connect with authors as well as readers. When you think there’s no way in seeking out your audience for your book, you might be surprised what you find online via surveys.

For example, going on Facebook or Twitter to research on the interest rate of people likely to read your book will provide you with  a stepping stone to identifying with your readers. Or simply conducting an online search or survey will also be of great help. 

FINAL THOUGHT

Identifying with your target audience for your book via these steps will certainly make the job easier. However, if you’re a self published author, word of mouth is your best shot to connect with your audience.

You probably may not have enough resources to push your book to a good amount of your audience, however you can appeal to the readers already seeking out books similar to a niche like yours and if they love your book, they’ll certainly let the word out and you’ll be on your way to having a good sales coverage.

Your readers are out there, just keep looking!