Oh we writers, what we don’t want for Christmas that we think would help our writer’s cause would fill a coffee cup, which is actually on the list of things writer’s think we need. Although I don’t drink coffee. Tried it the other day and about went bonkers. If I had a book idea I could have written it that day. Never try to do that, write a book in a day that is. I wrote a 40,000 word book in one day and was useless for days. I think I might have donated an organ but not sure. Actually I think I know which organ and don’t ask. I’m of the age I don’t think that organ is really all that useful any longer anyway.
Hello, I’m Ronovan and I write. I write anything and anywhere I can sneak in the door. Jenna left her door open and here I am. Oh that poor trusting woman. The chocoholic has succumbed to her indulgences and is now lying in the corner in a stupor babbling “plots, plots, edits, 15th draft, 15th draft”. I do not understand this rambling of hers but I am taking advantage of it. So I give you . . .
What every writer needs for Christmas.
(But doesn’t know to ask for.)
There are things every writer out there wants.
- The perfect first paragraph to the greatest novel ever written
- An advance from a publisher on a book that will feed them for a year
- Perhaps all the favorite beverage of their choice in an endless supply linked to their writing space from the fridge by way of a super humongoso straw, nozzle, whatever
- And of course that chocolate fondue fountain in the living room next to the couch they write upon
Raise your hand if you know which one Jenna would pick.
So here for some actual serious things writers might like to have.
Choosing Your Publishing Poison
One thing an author needs to know is about the publishing options out there, the routes possible. It isn’t all just about an agent and a publisher any longer. Those simple days of hopes and rejections only are long gone. So how does an author know what route is best for them?
This isn’t an Amazon deal, oh you can download it for .99, but it is free as of the time of this writing by visiting Smashwords here, and get it for Kindle or even PDF. Don’t know what Smashwords is? Worried about it being legit? It’s legit. A lot of authors use it instead of or as well as Amazon now. I downloaded it and have it on my Kindle at this moment.
Let’s say the writer in your life picked the traditional route of going through a publisher. They are going to need some help . Help in what?
How about help with writing a query letter?
There are spouses, parents and even people we wish were our spouses out there now wondering what in the world is a query letter. Or those people are asking how can they help us, if they do know what a query letter is. For those that don’t know-That’s the thing we writers can’t write that’s a page long after writing 400 pages of a novel. Yeah, it’s what gets us in the door with an agent or publisher to take a look at our novel. If you don’t do it correctly, buh bye.
So what to do what to do. Writing courses? Pay someone to do it for you? Sure, those are options but then there is this.
35 Five Star Reviews out of 49 Reviews so far on Amazon. I’ll take that.
You’re wondering how much, right? At the moment of this writing, it is free. Yes, Free. Click here to go there to download.
But maybe the writer decided to go their own way and self-publish. Well they need to know how to do something. What’s that they need to know how to do?
How about knowing how to set up their book for Kindle?
Building your book for Kindle is something we all face as a writer. Get ready for it. Kindle is the standard and likely to remain so. So who better to tell you how than, Amazon Kindle itself.
Click here to download it for, yes, free. I’m not just saying to do it because it’s from Amazon itself. With 1,104 Five Star Reviews as of this writing, I’ll go with it.
There is one thing that every author needs to know how to do, regardless of the path they choose. What’s that?
How To Market Your Book
In today’s world of being an author you have to do your own marketing. Even if you are signed by a big gun, you still need to know the business and get to marketing.
With a review rating of 4.89 out of 5 with 139 people reviewing, I’d say get over to Smashwords and download now by clicking here. You can also go to Amazon and get it as well by clicking here. 73 five star reviews there. And guess what? As of this writing . . . you guessed it, Free to download.
Another thing that will help out is something specifically called ebook. Yeah, the ebook, that thing book stores hate. Well, it’s here and it isn’t going away so what do we do?
We Need to Be Successful At The Big E
Ebooks are so easy to buy and it’s, well it’s like a pack of Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups at the check out line at the super market. Easy to pick up and consume. Impulse buying even.
Free. Okay, got that out of the way. Download at Smashwords here, or Amazon here. Knowing how to reach more readers for your ebooks doesn’t mean that’s the only people you reach. Remember reach them and keep them.
Five for Free. I hope these come in handy for anyone looking for some free tips on how to do things. I always like to read whatever is out there and I gain some knowledge to use. Sometimes I read things and learn what not to do. Have a good holiday season and hope your writer, be that the one in you, or the one near and dear to you finds something useful from today’s guest post.
THANKS JENNA! I didn’t break anything. Well, I don’t think I did.
Much Respect
Ronovan Writes
About the Author:
Ronovan blogs at RonovanWrites.WordPress.com and also started LitWorldInterviews.WordPress.com where you will find interviews with Authors, Publishers, Book Cover artists and all areas of the Lit World along with Book Reviews by a team of reviewers from around the world as well as useful articles on writing, self-publishing and platform building. You can follow Ronovan on Twitter @RonovanWrites.
Since today will be my last Friday Funny until after the New Year, I thought I’d have fun by kicking things off with some dancing from one of my favorite Christmas movies, 
Are you getting into the holiday spirit and shaking that booty? Come on, you know you want to…at least a little. 
Hey, if Bing Crosby can do it, so can you! 😉
Basically, I’ll be re-sharing my most popular posts from the past year (based on the number of views).
Glancing at my stats page now, I see my most popular posts include stories I’ve written, helpful articles I’ve found for Twitter Treasure Thursday, and some articles I wrote myself. So, you’ll get a little taste of everything.
Yeah, things have been on the frustrating side. I really can’t explain why other than I’m hitting a wall and simply need a break. You know, a vacation. A real one. Like, on a beach somewhere with nothing to worry about but getting a sunburn by accident…
Okay, I’ll admit it. At this point, it’s going to take a Christmas miracle for me to finish my third draft by January 1st. A combination of fatigue and diligence has slowed my progress way down.
Luckily, I’m taking a week off of work starting on the 23rd, and besides celebrating Christmas and a few other holiday events, I have nothing planned, so I should have plenty of time to dedicate to finishing my third draft.
We boarded a train with our tickets, had hot chocolate served to us by dancing waiters, and listened to The Polar Express read aloud. Then we disembarked and walked over to watch the actual Polar Express train arrive.
As we rode the train, we were entertained with various reenactments from the story, as well as a visit from Santa who gave my nephews a sleigh bell. We even had our tickets punched by the conductor with the letter “B” for “Believe”.
The entire event was amazing and will likely go down as the main highlight of this holiday season for me.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Be safe, have fun, and try to relax more than me 😉
NaNoWriMo runs from November 1st-30th. Unfortunately, I’ll be getting a delayed start because I have the second round of the 
Okay, time to get pumped up (because now that I’ve posted this, I guess I gotta go through with it, huh?). Step 1: Figure out which manuscript to work on. I have two and both are screaming for my undivided attention. Hmm…Step 2: WRITE!!!
Jen's Pen Den 