First and foremost, I am NOT a lawyer and the information provided within is not constituted as ANY type of legal advice. If you have a legal matter or question, please seek a bar certified lawyer. I am NOT a bar certified lawyer and do NOT claim to be one. No information that is read within this article may be submitted as evidence as to pertain to any legal matters. This is solely for your reading enjoyment.
As with any successful dream, you need a foundation.
But nothing is said when it comes to hobbies. How did you know what your hobby is, is well, what your hobby is? Did you see someone else doing it? Were you born and raised in your hobby? Or was it just by luck?
Many of you will say, regardless of a dream or a hobby, where you are today, is nothing but luck.
I’ve seen a lot of the do’s and don’ts on writing. I didn’t pay attention to them. They are great bathroom reading material, but that’s about all. No two people are going to have the same advice.
Example: One says to write what you know. (Well come back to that later)
Another one says to write in blocks. Meaning don’t write one start to finish.
Another one says to start with a basic story line.
Another one says read your genre to see what will sell.
Any many more, say many more things.
What I say? Do what you want. Because may work for one person may not work for another. I write true fiction. It’s what I know. I tried to write pure fiction, HA! Didn’t work. I tried to write non-fiction. That didn't work either.
I didn’t force my characters. When you start that first line, the story will flow or it won’t. A reader will know when you force a story to become a story. If you have to force something, think about it like this. If someone forced you to do something that you didn’t like, would you enjoy it? Well that’s how your readers feel about your work.
My characters just don’t want to shut up. That’s how you know you’re writing what you want to write. Not what someone else wants you to write. Sure, people will hate my work. So? I didn’t write for them. I wrote for me.
Do you think famous athletes play because they’re forced. (Sure the money’s great – but let’s remember back in the day) They played because they enjoyed and you got more into it because they enjoyed it.
Real life is the same way of writing. Writing is also a full time job. Writing may be a career for most, but for me it’s a full time hobby. I don’t live off the money I make off of it. Because I haven’t seen a dime of it. Is that going to prevent me from stopping? No.
At the end I’ll give you my do’s and don’ts. Now they may or may not work. But this is what I have done and will continue doing.
Now, let’s talk about the author’s platform. It’s a foundation you need to become successful. A foundation, I’d argue, can be as big as something you can only put your foot on. Others argue and say it needs to be huge.
Look at the ‘real’ successful business men and women. Do you think they started, expecting to grow over night? No. They started with their dreams and slowly worked their way to where they are now.
One of the platforms that hound, is target your audience. – I think that’s BS. Go stand in a comedy club. The audience there enjoys comedians. Do you think every single audience member is going to agree with comedian’s humor?
No. They are going to agree with what relates to them or what they find funny. Not everyone single audience member is going to relate on the same page. Not every single person is going to find funny what the next person is going to find funny.
Get your name out there. Okay, yeah that’s nice. If you had the money. So you have your first book completed. Has it been edited? Has it been through the first round of audiences? Your friends and peers you now personally.
Now if they are anything like mine, they’ll give you honest opinions. They’ll say, hey that just doesn’t work. That character is stupid. Don’t quit your day job.
Now, this may be discouraging, and if they are real friends. They’ll say at the end of their comments. Your book wasn’t their cup of tea. If you don’t like history and your friend asked you to read their history novel. Could you get involved?
Why should I go on interviews about my book, when one, that’s why I never disclosed a picture of myself. I write for fun, for others to connect, on levels they may have never thought, not for fame and fortune. If the fortune comes around. Great, but I ain’t counting on it.
Networking – I find this the biggest joke of all. Twitter we all know you can gain 4837326495 followers in a matter of moments. But who is actually listening to your tweets that you send? Facebook – can’t keep their own platform solid. Myspace is a thing of the past. The new ones popping up, eh, too many passwords to remember and the same thing said, just on a different network.
Get your name out there by volunteering. Shouldn’t you be doing that anyways, for the good of humanity? Not just for personal gain?
Volunteer at a school. Ummmm, great advice, but I’m no English major. That’s why I have an editor.
Attend workshops and conferences. I’ve never attended one before. I’m not saying what they say there is boring or noneducational. I’m just saying, this is not going to be my full time job. It’s a hobby. As with any hobby it takes money. That’s why I pay other’s to do what I have no inclination of doing myself.
Build a website. Ummm yeah.
Okay, now my dos and don’ts. Will be continued. I have an appointment. :)
Okays I’m back…
The do’s and don’ts -
Do write yourself. Do NOT write what someone else wants you to write.
Do listen to your characters. Do NOT do what you think they should be doing.
Do listen to what the negative reviews have to say. Do NOT retaliate and criticize them.
Listen to what the bad reviews have to say. Many may not get or understand the message you were trying to say through your characters. Some won’t. No matter how you write your book, they may never get it. It doesn’t mean that they are right or wrong.
Do not get mad at what they have to say. If you need to vent and curse – call your parents – call your best friend and cry your eyes out. Do NOT sit there and retaliate against what they say. A review is an opinion and no two people are going to share the same opinion for the exact same reasons. BUT what will distract current and potential readers, is how you handle yourself. I personally, don’t want to read what an author writes, who’s going to attack someone for their own opinion. I don’t care if it’s 38484673635 positive and 1 negative. But that’s just me.
Do have your friends read your books. Do NOT have them read the unrevised copy. Unless you're like me and can handle it.
Your friends love you. Your family loves you. Your true friends will say what needs help with the book. Your family will say your book rocks. Okay. So your book goes through five rounds of editing. Do you want to pick up your textbook and read it five times in different ways? No, I didn’t think so. So if you can’t do it, (okay wrong words) If you don’t want to do it, don’t expect others to do what you don’t want to do.
Do set up a couple networks. Do NOT set up every single network. Let them find you. If you're work is that interesting, people will find you.
Do set up a couple networking sites. I have facebook and google+. I also have twitter. But whatever is posted to my facebook goes to twitter automatically. If you will do that well, let them find you. More often than not, your fans will already have the social networks that you are already part of.
Also, I’ve lost count of how many are out there, but if I’m a fan of someone, I don’t need to see the same thing posted 100 times. I’m a fan of google+ but since not many are on google+ I stay on facebook.
Do build a website. Do NOT brag saying your book is the best on your website.
Do build a website. That way people can go to one spot to see what’s going on with your books without waiting for your updates. But do not rave about how great your book is. I know your book is great because I’m here wanting to know more about it.
Keep your website clean and simple. But also be unique. Don’t sit there and have bland colors and stuff that hasn’t been updated in a year. That will make me, okay want to check back, but also forget about it. I have better things to do with my time than sit and look at the same things on the computer screen.
Do take what your publishers say seriously. If you're working with one. They have been in the business a lot longer than you. But if you don’t like an idea. Tell them! But don’t be so out there that they either want to cancel their contract with you, or not renew.
Remember it is your work. It is who you are. And if you don’t like it, how can you be excited to promote it? But DON’T shoot down every idea they have.
Do your own research. Do NOT rely solely on your publisher.
Sure, that’s what you are paying them for. Or should I say getting a cut of your proceeds. Wouldn’t you like to know more about the business?
That brings me onto my next probably most important dos and don’ts.
Do get permission to use an existing trademark. Do NOT use a trademark without permission.
You are protected under certain laws to use a trademark, as long as you are not claiming ownership. But do you really want, an established trademark coming after you? Do you really want to yank already published books for correction? No, I didn’t think so.
If the trademark wants compensation. And you can’t afford it, move on. I do and have. More often than not, a trademark WILL allow you to use them under certain conditions. The conditions are NOT hard. So DO follow them.
Do copyright your material. Do not submit your work all over the place. Some books will say a 'real' publisher will take care of that. And, they will. However, with new ones popping up all over the place, you want to make sure you and your work is protected.
Another prime example: You listen to how many people said that things you see in stores, a close friend/family whatever thought of that idea and submitted to one of those invention TV commercials. But because they wanted X amount up front, your close friend/family opted not to. Now, can you prove that trademark? Trademarks are just as hard as copyright.
Read the copyright laws. I wrote about Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet. Well, we all know that Shakespeare wrote under a pen name. And it was waaaaaaaay before our time. So we can’t use it right? Wrong. Give proper accreditation to who the author is.
Do admit your mistakes. Do not pass blame.
I’m sure I’ll mess up. Be apologetic and correct the issue. Don’t say, “You should have told me before hand.” or the best one, “Can I change it next time?”
Oh yeah, that won’t get you far. Do copyright searches and trademark searches. Will you spend more than a full time job in over time doing it? Oh yeah. I can guarantee that. But you will save yourself a lot of troubles. This holds true for indie authors.
Do be creative. Do not be so uncreative it looks like your harboring on the line of infringement.
This is where the copyright and trademark laws come into place. Read the laws, because I’m bad at explaining them and I'm not a lawyer. For how I explain them will make sense, but yeah, you’ll go but you said this and you’re getting blamed. But yet, you did what I said not to do. So do your own research and plus you’ll know it much better. Example: If I study for your test and take it, you’ll pass. But what about when your final rolls around. I have the knowledge, and you don’t know any of the answers.
Why did I list my own do’s and don’ts? Easy because I can and could. Does that mean you have to follow them to be successful? No.
The one thing I did read, that made a whole lot of sense. Is treat your contract as a marriage contract. If either side is unhappy, the publisher has more right’s to destroy the contract than you do. I won’t tell you what it’s called. Giggles – but believe you me, they do.
If you are an indie author. (I just found out what indie author meant) Giggles. Learn from those that have worked with publishers. Learn from your bad reviews. Your bad reviewers would be potential publishers. If you sit there and trash your reviewers, do you think an actual publisher will want to come along and bring you on board?
I had every intention of becoming an ‘indie author’. In some way I am. That is fine by me. I had a traditional publisher. They were horrible and taught me a very valuable lesson.
Let me ask you this, when you follow instructions on how to do something? Are you or are you not left with some extra parts? Or are you missing some parts?
Well that’s what all these how to “author platforms” are. What may work for someone may not work for the next.
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