The Busy Writer's Book of Checklists (6 page)

#  What 'look' do you want your website
to have? (A fun place to visit? Information about your books and author talks? Pages
from which schools can download worksheets to go with your books?)

#  What do you want to have on your
website or blog? (Do you want to use WordPress and have a combination of static
pages and a blog? Do you want just a few pages that showcase you and your
books, which you will rarely have to update? Do you want to make regular blog
posts to attract readers and involve them in discussions?)

#  Make a list of pages you want on
your site.

#  Make a list of post categories you
want on your blog. (Browse other writers' blogs to see how they organize their
posts.)

#  How will you create your
website/blog? (Do you want to do it yourself? Outsource the job to someone?)

#  What platform will you use? (e.g.
WordPress? Blogger? Website creation software? An online site provided by your
web host? You might like to browse the Internet for options before you decide.)

#  If you are using WordPress, will you
host it on the WordPress site, or host it yourself? (using a web host such as
Hostgator, for example)

#  If you are going to host it
yourself, which theme will you use? (Many web hosts will have cPanel, which
allows you to install a WordPress blog in a couple of clicks. WordPress will
come with a default theme. You can use this, or search for another one you like
better. Just do a search for 'WordPress themes'.) Weaver II is free, and a nice
theme with plenty of options for customization.

#  Do you want to upload a personalized
header graphic for your site? If so, how will you create this?

#  Do you need to outsource header
graphics or buy software to help you create it?

#  Do you need help with anything else?
(Have an IT-savvy family member or friend handy if you struggle with
technological issues.)

#  Create a list of providers who can
give you what you want. (Ask other writers or do an Internet search, using
terms like 'Website creation' or 'who can set up a blog?' Make sure you compare
prices.

#  Establish a realistic budget for
your website or blog and don't go over it. (Remember that you can quickly and
easily create a free blog via either Blogger or WordPress.)

#  If the person who sets up your blog
doesn't do header graphics, find someone who can do this as well.

#  Plan and write the content of the
pages you want on your website.

#  Plan and write the first few blog
posts.

#  Establish a regular routine for
adding posts to your blog or content to your website.

Note that Facebook Terms and Conditions
may change at any time.
Always check that you have
the most recent advice by checking out their 'help' and FAQ pages.

#  Visit other Facebook pages to see
what other authors post on their pages. Make a list of Facebook author pages
that you like, so you can use them as a model.

#  Ensure that you have a personal
Facebook account first. If you haven't done this yet, use this link:
http://www.facebook.com/help/sign-up You need to set up a personal account
before you can set up a Facebook Page as an author or a business.

#  If you don't want to use your
personal Facebook page, put only minimal information on it. Then go into the
Settings and choose 'me only' to see the page. Read Facebook help page so you
understand how to make the most of your privacy settings.

#  To set up a Facebook business page
(just known as a Facebook Page): go to your private account and log in.

#  Scroll to the bottom of the page and
click 'new page'.

#  Choose the category that best suits
your purpose. This could be Artist, Band or Public Figure" and you can
then choose 'Author' from the drop-down box. If you wish to promote your books
or a series, you could choose  product/service). As an author, you are
establishing a 'brand' so people recognize you - and that brand can be your
name. So 'brand or product' would be fine.

#  When the 'brand or product' box
opens up, click on the 'down' arrow and choose an appropriate category.
"Product/Service" is the one usually chosen.

#  Add your picture. You can navigate
to a suitable picture on your computer. If you don't want your face to be on
your page, you can use any picture or piece of clip art related to your
business.

#  Edit your information section. What
do you want to tell people about your product or service? Write a concise
paragraph here.

#  Invite your friends... if you want
to. (If you have just created a FaceBook personal account, you won't have any
friends listed yet. You can, if you wish, send out an email notifying your
friends and inviting them to visit your page and 'like' it. Make sure you
include the URL so they know where to go!)

#  Write your first post (also known as
'adding content to your wall'.) Do this in the 'status' box. Make sure you hit
'enter' so the post shows up. Make it interesting and invite responses from
people. You could also add links to your book or books.

#  Make a list of interesting content
or links to other sites that you could add to your FaceBook page. When people
find it (or are told about it) they will click the 'like' button, and that
will, in turn, help other people to find the page - and to learn about your
books.

#  Create a schedule to post regularly
to your Facebook page. Your followers will gradually increase.

Twitter sometimes seems strange to those
who haven't become involved with it, but it is one of the most powerful social
networks around. If you learn how to use Twitter and attract lots of followers,
it can have a very positive effect on book sales.

#  Search for and download a guide to
starting out with Twitter. There are plenty of them around, and you need to
understand what you are doing before you jump in. Charlene Kingston has created
an excellent guide called Twitter for Beginners. You can download it here:
http://socialmediadiyworkshop.com/products/

#  Set up a Twitter account at
http://twitter.com

#  Your profile: Use your real name if
you want friends and other writers to be able to find you. (Your Twitter
username can be different.)

#  Add your location (this is optional,
to let people know where you are in the world)

#  Add your weblink (this can be to
your blog or website. If you have neither, you can build a Twitter landing
page.)

#  Fill in your bio. (This has to be
SHORT, like all Twitter messages. You have only 160 characters, so make them
count!)

#  Choose an appropriate UserName. This
should represent your book(s), your series, your business or your brand. Keep
this short, too. No spaces or punctuation.

#  Upload an avatar (picture) so people
associate it with you. You can use anything you like, but mostly people prefer
to look at a face.

#  To find people to follow: do a
search on Twitter for authors you like, or book bloggers, etc. Look for people
with a large following, and click 'follow' to get their tweets.

#  Also browse around in the lists of
people that are following your favorite authors. Some of them will have large
groups of followers. You might like to follow them, too.

#  Investigate programs like Hootsuite
to help you easily manage your Tweets and Facebook pages.

#  Look for opportunities to tweet
about an interesting web site, a useful blog post, or offer advice to other
writers (pointing back to a page on your blog, perhaps.)

#  Gradually build a relationship with
other people on Twitter. You will see your list of followers growing. Your
friends on Twitter will help to promote your books (and buy your books!)

#  Don't follow EVERYONE back. You'll
have too many tweets to handle. Be selective. 

Work constantly on your writer's network.
You can make valuable contacts that will help you in many ways - by buying your
books, and helping you to promote them.

#  Work out a list of what KIND of
people you want to add to your network. (Authors, potential critique partners,
book bloggers, industry professionals like editors and agents, POD publishers
etc.)

#  Work out where you can FIND these
people. (Forums, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, GoodReads, Writers'
Centers, etc.)

#  Spend time on these forums/blogs or
on Twitter and Facebook. (Create a Twitter account and Facebook page if you
need to.) Start commenting, offering help, and generally responding to people.

#  Draw up a program for gradually
expanding your network by developing the contacts you have initiated. Aim to
become friends with them via blog comments, forum posts, Tweets and Facebook
comments, then IF there is a genuine relationship developing, become email
friends.

#  Buy books by authors you like (to
support them, to give feedback and/or reviews, and to be able to discuss the
books in forums.)

#  Establish a budget for conferences
and workshops if this is part of your plan. Choose functions where you can
expand both your knowledge AND your network.

#  Aim for variety in your
friends/contacts. (E.g. authors you like, potential critique partners or
writers in the same genre, editors with a good knowledge of the industry, book
store owners, etc.)

#  Create a contacts list/book (on your
computer or in a notebook). Keep up-to-date information about email addresses,
Twitter accounts, Facebook pages and blog/website addresses. Record the date of
any contact made (be brief - e.g. "Tweet" or "Facebook
comment" or "Blog response". Don't just contact people when you
want something - a genuine relationship goes both ways.

#  Decide whether you need face-to-face
contact with writers on a regular basis. If you do, join a nearby group or
start your own.

#  Join GoodReads. Here you can
interact with authors, keep an eye on what people are reading, promote your own
books and have your own page.

#  Join LinkedIn. (Same as above for
GoodReads. Another good networking site.)

#  Join professional groups connected
with your genre (e.g. Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators,
Romance Writers, Mystery Writers.)

The face of publishing has changed
dramatically in the past few years. Once, writers had to go through the process
of researching publishers, acquainting themselves with each individual
publisher’s requirements, sending a query letter and perhaps a partial, waiting
to hear whether they’d been successful – and then going through the whole
process again if they were not.

Now it’s different. Writers can choose to
self-publish, and it’s finally accepted that it’s not only ‘okay’ to take
matters into their own hands – it’s often the smart choice.

The following three checklists cover
researching publishers in general, writing a query and synopsis, and publishing
on Amazon Kindle.

There are other options such as CreateSpace
and Smashwords, but all have excellent ‘help’ pages to walk you through the
process of formatting and uploading your work. Use the Kindle checklist as a
model for creating your own checklist for other publishers.

If you do this, then each time you upload a
book, you’ll be sure to complete every step.

These days the field is wide open for
authors. Once, writers used to make a list of possible (traditional)  publishers
for their manuscript, and work through them, hoping someone would say 'yes'.
These days you have far more choice: you can query traditional publishers, use
a POD (Print on Demand) publisher, or become your own publisher on sites like
Amazon Kindle, CreateSpace, Lulu and Smashwords. Here are some tips on how to
find a publisher that’s right for you.

#  Go to a library or an online
bookstore and start making a list of publishers of your preferred genre (or
genres).

#  Subscribe to well-known publishing
newsletters that tell you what publishers are buying.

#  Consider signing up for a
subscription to a Writer’s Marketplace. (There are various options in different
countries.)

#  Spend time on writing and publishing
forums to find out what people are saying about various publishers. Also try
social networking sites like LinkedIn and GoodReads.

# Check out both traditional publishers
and e-publishers online. Note submission requirements. Note the names of
editors who take submissions.

#  Check to see if the publisher has a
downloadable publishing guide.

#  Note which publishers will take
submissions only from agents.