Author Mania

Author Mania .... As Original as it Gets!

What to Look for on Author Mania:

Markets
Writing contests
Humor articles
Author news
Publishing news
Book reviews
How to articles
Helpful author and writing links
Writing and author resources
Self publishing help

Author Mania brings readers articles, tips, ideas about how to create your story or novel,
build believable characters, plots, writing contests, self publishing, and more!




Author Mania on KindleAuthor Mania is now available on Kindle!

Author Mania is about writing and offers writing resources and publishing resources for authors – such as book writing, kindle books, book publishing, writing jobs, freelance writing, writing contests, self publishing, newspaper writing, magazine writing, publishing your book, and more. Author Mania also helps authors to make more book sales by promoting their books and ereader books.

AuthorMania offers help for writers, how to write, writing resources and tips. Learn the art of writing, become an author. Learn how to build your story or novel. Get the information you need to create your book or short story, and make your words sell!

 

What to Look for on Author Mania:

- Writing markets
- Writing contests
- Humor articles
- Author news
- Publishing news
- Book reviews
- How to articles
- Helpful author and writing links
- Writing and author resources
- Self publishing help

Author Mania brings readers articles, tips, ideas about how to create your story or novel, build believable characters, plots, writing contests, self publishing, and more!

AuthorMania – Authors, Book Writing, Kindle Books, Write a Book, Book Publishing, Writing Jobs, Freelance Writing, Writing Contests, Book Writer, Self Publishing, Newspaper Writing, Magazine Writing, Publish on Kindle, Writers Wanted, Publish Your Book, Get Paid to Write, Self Publisher, Writing for Magazines, Writing for Newspapers, Publishing Tips, Writing Markets

Kindle blogs are fully downloaded onto your Kindle so you can read them even when you’re not wirelessly connected. And unlike RSS readers which often only provide headlines, blogs on Kindle give you full text content and images, and are updated wirelessly throughout the day.

•It’s risk free – this Kindle Blog subscription starts with a 14-day free trial. You can cancel at any time during the free trial period. If you enjoy your subscription, do nothing and it will automatically continue at the regular price.

 

 

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Why Kindle is a Great Self Publishing Platform

When you have something to say and need to get it in front of people, one of the best publishing avenues to look at is Kindle. This popular publishing entity is fast becoming the top resource authors turn to in order to get their book out into the world.

The reason it’s one of the top choices is because of how easy it is to set up a book in the Kindle program. If you’ve been looking at some self publishing options, then you know by now that there are a ton of ways you can go about getting it done.

But as you check out the different options, you’ll see that some of them can be very difficult. Some of the steps are just too complicated. Using Kindle is easy because the program walks you through every single step.

You’re not on your own for any of it. There are many guides that will take you through each part of the process including the actual writing and set up of the novel before you upload it.

Not only do people choose Kindle because of how easy it us to get a book uploaded, but also because it’s free. If you’ll look at other self publishing venues, you’ll see a wide array of costs.

Some of these costs can be quite shocking. Since Kindle is completely free upfront (they do take a percentage of the sale for letting you use the platform) and widely recognized as being a great self publishing avenue, there’s no need to pay for anything else.

Plus, Kindle is global. Your book can go all over the world in a matter of hours. It only takes 5 minutes to upload your manuscript and turn it into a novel and 12 hours for it to go live. There are some authors who even used Kindle’s service, got noticed by big name publishing companies and offered a cushy book deal.

Kindle goes above and beyond to help authors find success using their program and authors can be part of the Lending Library. When people in select countries download your book, you can make a big royalty – 70%. That percentage is higher than the standard rate offered by traditional publishing companies.

You’re not alone in your publishing endeavor. Unlike other self publishing companies, Kindle has a forum set up for authors who have published through Kindle where people can gather as a sense of community and share knowledge.

 

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Researching, Outlining, and Writing Your Non-Fiction Creation

Writing a book is an exciting endeavor, but you need to know what you’re doing. You need to do the research and for some people, writing an outline before you do the actual writing helps them go from start to finish.

First, you need to know where to go to research your book. Even if you’re an expert, go to other experts. What you want to do is get viable quotes form other experts – the more popular, the better.

Think it’s difficult to get an expert onboard – especially if you’re a relative unknown? It isn’t. Getting a quote from an expert you admire requires one thing. Asking. Will everyone you ask say yes? No, but some will and that’s all you need.

You simply send a brief email and ask if you can quote them. You can handle a quote one of two ways. You can either ask if you can interview them via email – you want the questions responded to in writing – or you can ask if you can include a quote of something they’ve already said in a written, audio, or video format.

You can also do phone interviews, but if you’re not used to doing this, it can be a little nerve-wracking. You’ll need to tape the conversation if you do this. Unless your state is a one party state for recording conversations, you’ll need to get the expert to clearly acknowledge in the beginning of the tape that he or she is aware the conversation is being taped.

You can research through professional or government agencies that deal with the topics covered in your book, you can use case studies, newspaper archives and the local library. You want to invest an many resources to educate yourself (not so you can plagiarize) and fill up on knowledge before you begin writing.

Outlining a non-fiction creation is important because you have to know where you’re going. An outline is like a map of the path you’re going to take from the first chapter to the final one. You want an outline because you can later use it as a basis for your table of contents page.

When writing an outline, you just need to write down your key points and any sub-points. You may also want to summarize your book in a sentence or two. This will help keep you on track.

Once you’ve done your research and written the outline, you’re ready to write your non-fiction creation. When you’re writing, remember to stay on topic, because it’s easy to wander.

Keep your audience in mind as you write. Use your voice and not someone else’s voice.  You weren’t meant to be a carbon copy of someone else. Don’t be afraid to tell it like is and don’t box yourself in as you write. Write with emotion.

 

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Going Through the Kindle Publishing Process

If you’ve decided to publish your book through Kindle, you’ve made a step in the right direction. What a lot of people really love about publishing through Kindle is how easy it is to set up your manuscript and then watch it go live as a novel.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that you have your novel written out in the proper format. This just makes everything go a bit faster if you’ll write your novel in Microsoft Word – because if you use a program with a lot of formatting, it doesn’t upload as easily. You also don’t want to copy from another program and paste because you’ll get those weird symbols in your text.

You’ll need to make sure that you use page breaks as you write. If you don’t use page breaks, it’ll throw off the formatting and you’ll end up with run on chapters. You have to remember that too much text all clumped together makes it harder for readers to read your material.

You can upload visuals with Kindle just by inserting them in your work, but keep in mind that images change the size of the file, making it a lot bigger than plain text. You want to make sure you don’t go over any upload limits.

You’ll lay out your pages in order starting with the title page. Most people make the mistake of putting their book cover as their first page, but that messes up the format, so don’t do that.

Next in order will be the copyright page if you use one. Depending on the use you want allowed for your book, you may or may not use a copyright page. You can dedicate the book if you desire, but put the dedication on a page alone. After that, you’ll need your table of contents page.

Something to remember is that Kindle doesn’t want your book cover with the manuscript upload. You can upload your own image by using something you’ve created or you can use free artwork as long as you check the licensing agreement first.

Some people hire a professional book cover artist. A great thing about Kindle is that as you have information to share with your readers, you can update your already uploaded book.

Once you have the book uploaded and it goes live on Kindle, that’s only 50% of the work. The rest of the work is in the marketing. You have to tell people about the book. You have to promote it. You can promote the book through the use of social media.

Use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and do a blog tour. On the blog tour, interact with those who leave comments. Announce the release to your email list. Start the buzz a few days early so that on the day the book goes live, you can send out, “It’s live” announcements.

Send out online press releases and put together a street team. A street team is a group of people who help promote your book. They’re going to talk about it on their social media sites, on blogs, etc. And don’t forget to create a book trailer for YouTube for your book!

 

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Creating a Storyboard for Your Fiction Kindle Novel

A storyboard is simply a visual tool to help you plot out your novel and keep your novel’s timeline on course. A storyboard can be used for either a fiction or a non-fiction novel. Some people use an online storyboard while others choose to use one they can physically touch.

There is no right or wrong way to create a storyboard as long as you have the pertinent information on the board. If you choose to create one for computer use, you can set up one in PowerPoint or Microsoft Word or you can use a pre-drawn template.

You’ll find storyboard templates free online. But if you want to create your own, you’ll need a sheet of posterboard, some 3 by 5 cards or some sticky notes. Just use what works for you.

The reason that you want to use a storyboard is because it can help you see your fiction novel plot points. Plot points are simply events within your story that move your story forward. It’s an event that causes the characters to take action or changes what’s going on.

If you’re writing non-fiction, a storyboard can help you make sure that your information stays on track. A storyboard also shows your overall theme, and it can show you your characters’ growth. All main characters should grow and change in some way by the events they go through.

A storyboard can also show your story’s black moment – that’s the moment when it appears all is lost. The resolution is also part of the storyboard and this shows that all of the loose ends and all of the questions created by the author in the story are answered.

A storyboard lets you see your story at a glance and helps you be able to place what’s happening in sequence. When you create your storyboard, divide it by chapters, and then break each chapter down into scenes.

Each chapter should be between 2-3 scenes long. Some people write out each scene on 3 by 5 cards and tape them to posterboard. Others use sticky notes and put those on the posterboard. In a pinch, you can place sticky notes directly onto the wall by your desk.

Your storyboard will be divided into three main parts. In the first one, you’ll have your character introduction or if you’re writing non-fiction, this is where you’d introduce the problem people are having (to which your book is going to provide the answer). For fiction, you’re going to make the reader aware of the conflict the main character is facing.

In the second part of the storyboard, you’re going to introduce other characters, deepen the conflict and introduce the black moment when it appears all hope is lost. In non-fiction this is the place where you’d tell your story of failure.

The third part of the storyboard is the resolution. In fiction or non-fiction, this is where you end with everything resolved. A storyboard helps you see your overall story and helps you keep up with all the points you want to make.

 

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Choosing Your Best Genre

by Author Mania

Choosing Your Best Genre

Have you ever done work that didn’t really interest you? If you’re like others who have, then all you wanted to do was to get the job finished and get on with what really did appeal to you.

Publishing is like that. It’s really hard to be enthusiastic when you’re facing a genre that doesn’t interest you. Just because you think you probably would be good at writing a particular genre doesn’t mean you should.

Some people say the genre chooses the writer. Others say you can just pick one. The way to choose the best genre for you is to write what you actually enjoy reading. The reason is because you’ll have familiarity in reading that genre and you’ll have a feel for the type of stories that are published in that arena.

If you find yourself drawn to a particular type of book – like suspense – then that’s what you should write. Always write whatever it is that you read. If you enjoy reading young adult, westerns, dystopians, or whatever – then that’s what you need to write. Your passion for that genre will show through.

What if it’s not an easily definable genre? Go ahead and write it anyway.  Never forget that writing is a form of artistic expression and the different expressions appeal to different audiences.

Don’t worry about it if you don’t know a lot about the genre. That’s easy to learn. For example, if you wanted to write suspense and you needed to know how the police would handle a crime scene, there are all kinds of online blogs written by experts that will give you the knowledge you need to write with authority. And those blogs are free.

If you want a lot of information at your fingertips, you can invest in eBooks or print books that cover the research details – so don’t let what you don’t know stop you from writing the kind of book you want to write.

Knowing whether you should write, fiction or non-fiction, is a choice you don’t really have to make. It’s possible to do both and do both successfully. However, that doesn’t mean you have to. You can write what you’re drawn to and some people are naturally better at one versus the other. Just always aim for whatever you’re passionate about.

With non-fiction, if you’re going to write something that you already know such as marketing or how to build a website or create a business, then that’s information where you’re the expert. So your time researching will be minimal. If you’re going to write non-fiction like true crime, then you’ll need to make sure your facts are absolutely correct.

 

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Save a Writer, Buy a book T Shirt

 

Here’s a really cool shirt for writers!  A great way to advertise yourself, too!  Be sure to have your business cards with you when you go out wearing this t-shirt to give to people when they notice you. Click here to get your writer’s t-shirt now.

Save a Writer, Buy a book T Shirt

Save a writer, buy a book! In these hard times, it is sometimes the most talented who suffer the most. Show your support for writing, writers, authors, anyone who earns their living with their pen. Save a writer, buy a book!

 

 

 

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