What Amazon Can Do For YOU

Last week at the Whidbey Island Writer's Conference, Amazon representative Jon Fine spoke to us about what Amazon is doing now, can do for authors (self pubed and traditionally pubed), and things to look for in the future.

I was surprised to learn how many opportunities Amazon provides for self publishing and Indie publishing. For the self publishers, there are programs such as Kindle Direct Publishing and CreateSpace. There are also more traditional Indie style publishing with Amazon Encore and The Domino Project (powered by Amazon). I had no idea Amazon did all this. I thought it was Buy, Sell, end of story. Boy was I wrong.

Here's the part that I thought was very helpful to authors (and another thing I had no idea about): your Author Page. We've all seen those Author Pages right? Where all the author's books are conveniently displayed? Well, that's not all the Author Page can do (keep this in mind when you are pubed--traditionally or self). On your Author Page, you can upload your books and book covers, announce tours and appearances, display your blog, display video, display a photo, and put up your Twitter feed (brand new). When you are pubed, be sure to communicate with your publisher if they will be doing this or if you should. A lot of people use Amazon now to get info about books and authors, and Amazon is a great place to display it all.

One last tidbit. You know the Search Inside feature on some (unfortunately not all) books? I use it all the time to decide which book I want to read next and it helps me whittle down my stack of TBRs. But it also helps convince me to read a book (importance of a great first few pages). Again, talk to your publisher about this feature. Why is it so important? Jon explained. When Search Inside is available, the entire contents of your book is made accessible by search engines (even though the reader will not be able to see all of it). If you have a mention of something in your book that isn't in the title or synopsis, and someone Googles for it, they will see that your book has it. Voila. Another book sale.
So, don't underestimate Amazon anymore. They are so much more than a convenient bookseller. They are a terrific example of how one company is changing with the changing tides.

YA, Authors, and Amazon--Oh My!!

The Whidbey conference last weekend was amazing! If you're in the area and you didn't get a chance to attend this year (or you want to drive or fly in) definitely do so next year. Wonderful speakers and topics, and the format of the entire conference (laid back and friendly) really lent itself to helping people learn and connect with each other.

On Sunday, we had a presentation by Amazon, which I will touch on in another post.

There was also a panel on the Agent/Author relationship, which I will also touch on in another post.

Andrea Hurst gave a two hour class (I'd attended her class before, but again was struck by how helpful it was to everyone) about the Perfect Pitch. At any conference you attend, if you are able to attend hers, or if local classes offer the topic (or webinars) make sure you take advantage of the opportunity. One of the things Andrea does is allow participants to pitch the entire room. Scary, yes, but you can gauge the audience's response. If they all sit up and go Ooooooo, then you know you've hooked them. If their eyes sort of glaze over, then you know you need to redo the pitch. An extra perk is that you are pitching Andrea at the same time, and she can give you feedback/request material for herself or her agents.

The "Chat Houses" were literally in people's homes, from in and around Coupeville. In our chat house, we were all cozy in the living room on couches and chairs and listened to authors Mandy Hubbard, Deb Lund, and Michele Torrey talk about writing and publishing for children's, middle grade, and YA.

Highlights:

• VOICE is the most important thing (like I don't preach that enough)
• CHARACTER is the next most important thing
• Have a HOOK and STORY QUESTIONS from the very first page
• For your comparables and to see how debut authors broke into the business, read debut novels
• TENSION can turn a slow paced story into something riveting (my wording, Mandy's wisdom)
• Don't be SLIGHT (Deb on Children's books)
• Don't be TRITE (Michele on MG)

Mandy shared her experiences from both an agent's perspective and a writer's. Michele read to us from several books of all ages to demonstrate the power of voice (by the way, she's an amazing reader). Deb revealed a few tricks and made us play charades.

The Tricks: Deb had two decks of cards. One of them were "Emotion Cards"--on each one was an emotion--scared, worry, devotion, unsure, etc. We played charades which meant no talking. We guessed what the emotion was (easier said than done) then discussed what it was about the person's BODY LANGUAGE that gave it away. This was a live demonstration of SHOW DON'T TELL, and I've never seen a better presentation. Everyone went away thinking, ooooooooh, I get it now. Describe how your character is acting to show how they are feeling.

Trick Two: The second card deck had actions on them. We were to think of a scene in our manuscripts before choosing a card, then think about how we could incorporate that into our scene to "spice it up." Cards included: lie, trust the wrong person, run away, and (my personal favorite) disguise the enemy. These are helpful to get you over writer's block or to make your scene more interesting.

Check out all authors, read their books, and, if you have the chance, make sure you hear them speak some time.

Happy writing!