Reading For Writers

Do writers need to be readers? The short answer is YES! This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how many manuscripts we receive from non-readers. When we receive a manuscript,we will either accept without reservations, accept if conditions are met, or reject it outright. In almost every case where we have rejected a manuscript outright, it is due in part to the author not being a reader.

Image: Surachai / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Reading books should be a part of your schedule each day, a minimum of an hour a day if you are serious about becoming a published author. By reading an hour a day, you are building on a number of qualities that every great author has:

1. Knowledge of subject matter. Read books in the genre you are interested in writing for.

2. Copiousness. Read books from a wide variety of genres. (Want to see copiousness in action? Check out Collision with Doug Wilson & Christopher Hitchens).

3. Writing For Reading. Read consistently and regularly will help you find your own natural rhythm with your readers.

4. Ideas On What To Write. Reading is one of the best ways to brainstorm without thinking about it.

5. Ideas On What NOT To Write. Don't write a book that has already been written. Many would-be authors make this mistake.

Reading is one the key ways to build your skills as an author. Read more, write more, & publish more.


Brad's personal reading guidelines:

• I read Scripture every day. Everything else I read is viewed through the lens of Scripture. It is not all I read, but it effects all I read.
• I try to read at least one non-fiction and one fiction book at the same time. More often than not, I will be reading multiple non-fiction books at once. The key for me is that they are in different genres. For example, I am currently reading business (Personal MBA), psychology (Influence), philosophy (On The Shortness Of Life), trivia (Brain Candy), and Christian (Three Gospels). The fiction I am reading currently is actually a true crime type of book, which reads like fiction (Gang Leader For A Day).
• I will try to read only non-fiction most of the day. Two hours before bed, I switch to only fiction. This was a suggestion from Tim Ferris, I believe in The Four-Hour Workweek, and it has proved very helpful for my sleeping habits. Reading non-fiction before bed gets the brain juices flowing too fast.
• I try to finish a book every day. I average 4-5 books a week, not counting the manuscripts I read for the publishing business. Reading is a large part of my job as well.
• Most people who don't read insist it is because of time. I don't have the time not to read . . . once you build reading into your life, it is hard to remove it without feeling like something is missing.
• As you can tell by the variety of books that I am reading now, I read from a wide list of genres. I have found it very helpful to read books simultaneously and follow what you are most interested in at the time.
• I stop reading a book if I don't like it. Don't feel like you have to trudge through a book you don't like - just stop and pick up a more interesting one.
• I review almost every book I read on Amazon (of course, besides the ones published by our company). This small commitment has made me both a better reader and writer.
• I write in my books. A lot. I plan on sharing more of this in the future, but in the meantime, if you aren't writing in your own books, see How To Read A Book and Mindhacker.

Hopefully this is helpful to see how at least one other reader actually reads. Post your own reading plans or thoughts below in the comments section.

3 Ways For Authors To Use Social Proof

Man has always relied on a variety of shortcuts when making decisions. Rather then reevaluating every facet of every decision, we rely on principles to help us judge new decisions based on the past. We rely on our brains and our intuition to push through the noise, which has grown louder and more far reaching than ever before.

(Courtesy of katdaned)

Social proof is one of the tools that we use to help make decisions. The principle of social proof is simply using what other people think is correct to determine what we think is correct. This is a powerful psychological principle and plays a part in our lives every day. In fact, it is so powerful that the suicide rate will often jump after a highly publicized suicide, widely known as the Werther effect.

As an author, you want to insure that social proof is working alongside you and not against you. It can often be the difference between selling a lot of books and struggling to sell any. Here are three ways authors can use social proof.

1. Endorsements: Seek endorsements from as many people as you can before your book is printed. Find authority figures in your field who are willing to give an honest, positive endorsement of your work. Make sure that the best are displayed on the back cover, and any others are recorded inside the book or on your website. This is a shortcut that many people use when deciding whether or not to buy a book, and sometimes it is all that it takes.


2. Early Reviews: You want your book reviewed positively as soon as it is released by as many people as possible. These reviews must be honest, not a part of your family (happens more than you would think), and public. The best place for you book to be reviewed is Amazon. We offer our authors a letter that is helpful to use when you are seeking reviews and filtering strategies for choosing reviewers who will likely give you a positive, honest assessment. Email us at info@lucidbooks.net if you are interested in a copy of the letter or finding out more about selecting reviewers. Also for all of the books you send out for early review, plan on a 10% success rate. If your goal is to get 20 reviews, send out 200 copies of your book.


3. Crowds: Magicians, street performers, and sidewalk vendors have all known a secret for a long time that others are just finding out. The best way to attract people, is to have people there already. Crowds attract crowds. If there are 15 people surrounding a performer, then he must be good; if there is no one there, its probably not worth you being there either. As an author, you can use this social proofing method to your advantage in many ways. 


At book signings, engage with multiple people at once and use something else besides your book to get them to come to the table. Build your momentum and you will have a crowd around your table soon.


Keep track of your selling stats and any awards you receive, and advertise any positive trends. If more people are buying your book, then more people will buy your book.


Social proof is powerful concept that can make or break an author. Use it to your advantage. For more information about social proof and other psychological principles, pick up a copy of Influence.

Results Vs. Process

One of the most interesting things about owning a publishing company these days is talking to everyone who wants to write a book. Even with all of the books published each year (now topping the 1,000,000 mark), there are many who will never get past their rough idea or outline. The creative process is still viewed as hit or miss, but there are some practical skills that anyone can develop to create an idea from their outline.

(Photo courtesy of jayneandd)

Ideas are plentiful, execution is rare. I am as guilty of this as anyone else. It is very easy to come up with great ideas consistently, but much harder to execute an idea, even a mediocre one, even once. Rachelle Garnder put it well in her latest post, "Unfortunately, the old adage is true – ideas are a dime a dozen. In themselves, ideas have no value. The value is in the way a writer is able to capture those ideas using the written word, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction." If you want to learn more about what strategy really is, take the advice of David Maister, author of Strategy and the Fat Smoker. "The necessary outcome of strategic planning is not analytical insight but resolve."

Focus on the process, not results. This is advice often given, rarely taken. Focusing on the end result or a finished book in this case will get you nowhere. Focusing on your next step, no matter how small, will actually move you towards your goal. It seems counterintuitive, but it works. If you focus on the big picture, you will freeze up. If you just do the next small step, then you are on your way. Tim Ferris, author of The Four-Hour Workweek, did a lot of the legwork himself and by focusing intently he was able to create a #1 New York Times bestseller one paragraph at a time. 

For instance, when deciding on which book cover to use he tested multiple covers by taking them to a local bookstore and putting them on the shelves. He spent the next few hours watching and tracking how many folks actually picked up the various book covers and he was able to focus on the best design quickly. It may be overwhelming to think about how your book should look in the future, but focusing on what you can actually do in a local bookstore for a few hours will move you towards your goal in record time.

Creativity takes many, many drafts. There are some great creativity/productivity tips in Mindhacker, a book that focuses on many different areas. Hack 34, Don't Know What You're Doing, has some great advice for authors. It is worth picking up the book just for this chapter, but here are some of my favorite quotes from it:

"Successful artists and writers know . . . that drafts are key."

"Realize that not everything you make must matter, and that making stuff that doesn't matter is also part of the process. If you have an idea for a story, write the same story five times; if you write about a memory, try writing it from five different viewpoints or interpretations."

"A piece of art should be a by-product of the adventure of making it, not the goal."

Too many ideas are never realized, too many books never move beyond an outline. Focus on the next step in your work and start writing. Remember that value only comes from doing something, no matter how great the idea is.

Before You Quit . . .

3 Questions To Ask Before Quitting: Seth Godin's book, The Dip, should be essential reading for authors. He offers a lot of helpful advice on overcoming "writer's dip", both in the writing process and in the marketing process of the book. All writers hit a point where they struggle to decide whether they should quit or keep pushing, especially in the marketing phase. 


The market for books is as wide as it has ever been with over 1,000,000 books a year published, but that's not the whole story. The market is also as shallow as its ever been with the average book selling under 200 copies. That means that authors need to push their book for a longer time frame, overcome the dip that comes for every book once the initial burst of activity happens. But how do you know when to quit? Seth Godin has three helpful questions that can help you decide.

(Photo courtesy of Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

ARE YOU PANICKING?


Don't make crucial decisions, like quitting, when you are dealing with emotions. Look at the project cooly and logically, or put off a decision until you can. Sales will take a dip on almost every successful product, sometimes you just have to power through it. One great way to counteract the panic is to have a "quitting plan" in place before you start. What would have to happen to make you quit? Answer that question now and stick to it when times are rough later.


WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO INFLUENCE?


Are you focusing on one person at a time, one niche market, or every buyer on earth? Make sure that your efforts are being directed to the right group effectively before deciding that it's not working. 


"Influencing one person is like scaling a wall. If you get over the all the first few tries, you're in. If you don't, often you'll find that the wall gets higher with each attempt.


Influencing a market, on the other hand, is more of a hill than a wall. You can make progress, one step at a time, and as you get higher, it actually gets easier. people in the market talk to each other. They are influenced by each other. So ever step of progress you make actually gets amplified" (The Dip, 68).


WHAT SORT OF MEASURABLE PROGRESS ARE YOU MAKING?


Are you moving in the right direction? Often when you are are trying to tip a scale in a large market, it takes a long time to build momentum. Make sure that you are measuring progress realistically and effectively. Don't be content with no movement at all, but realize that the larger the market is the harder it will be to reach critical mass.


Push through "writer's dip" and if your work is good it will succeed. At the very least, don't quit before you have given it the chance.


Read our full review of Seth Godin's book, The Dip, here.

3 Best Tips for Authors From Zarella's Hierarchy of Contagiousness

The new book by Dan Zarella (reviewed here) has plenty of applications for authors. I highly recommend that you purchase the book, but wanted to share the top three tips from the book for authors.

1. Build Authority and Claim It. Zarella found that Twitter users with the word "author" in their username had, on average, almost 100 more followers. While this is not necessarily cause and effect, it does indicate that authors should not be afraid to identify themselves. Building your authority and claiming it will help you reach more people. Interestingly, Zarella also found that self-referencing in your posts is not helpful, so include most of your claims to authority in your bio, not posts. His advice: "Talk as yourself, not about yourself."


2. Originality and Familiarity. Zarella found that ideas that are both original and familiar are the ideas that are most easily spread. For authors, find a way to separate yourself from the genre, but don't abandon everything. Unique perspectives on common subjects can boost your book's marketing quickly. For more information on how to brand your books, I suggest picking up a copy of the classic marketing book, Positioning.


3. The When of Social Media. The author found that Facebook posts are shared more and that blog posts are commented on more often if they originate on a weekend. Don't work harder, work smarter - post during the optimal times and the same marketing will go much further. 


These are just three tips from the book, there are many others that authors can apply in this 80 page manifesto. Pick up a copy and see your social media reach take off.

3 Questions to Maximize Your Writing Productivity

One of the most surprising things about the publishing business is finding out how many people want to write books. I honestly have more people who tell me they want to write a book then people who talk about reading books. Now more than ever, that goal can be realized quickly and effectively. Yet it is still hard for some to take the first step or to get over the hump and really get moving on an idea.

I finished one of the best productivity books I have ever read this week. The title is Eat That Frog, 21 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done In Less Time. Chapter 4 discusses the consequences of our goals and what should be considered when we set them. The author suggests asking three questions of yourself to maximize your productivity, which I have modified for writers.

What can you and only you write that if done well will make a real difference? Peter Drucker, one of the best business thinkers ever, originally asked this question. For writers, it is the most important question that you can ask yourself. Until you have an answer for this question, don't start working on a manuscript. There is no need for another book that covers the same things in the same way with the same tone. Think outside the box, assess your passions, and write something that will make a real difference when you put your pen to paper.

What are my highest value writing activities? Ask yourself where you write best, when you write best, and how you write best. If you love one area of the writing process, like research, focus on that goal alone in the beginning and just move in the right direction. Identifying those times and activities that help create the most productive time for you will help keep you motivated and more productive. For instance, I have found that the mornings are my best time for thinking. If I wake up before anyone else and start working on my creative projects, I will often check off more things on my list from the hours of 6 to 8 then I would from 9 to 5. Find your highest value factors and maximize your productivity and time.

What is the most valuable use of my time right now? Ask yourself this question daily to keep you focused on the right things. Make sure that what you are working on moves you closer to your goal and that its not just busywork. Spend time on high value activities until they are finished. Apply the 80/20 principle to the list of activities that you have before your next manuscript will be finished. The 80/20 principle says that 20% of your activities will provide 80% of the benefit - focus on those activities. Hint: Spending time building your list on Facebook, Twitter, or making your website prettier will almost always be a low value activity. It will not move you closer to your goal of a finished book.

Ask yourself these questions and your writing productivity will skyrocket. Remember that strategy is really more about doing than knowing: you have the tools, now you just have to do it. What questions do you ask yourself as a writer? Have these questions had any effect on you? What will it take for you to get started?

George Orwell's Six Questions & Rules For Writers

George Orwell, renowned author of 1984 & Animal Farm, penned an insightful essay in 1946 entitled "Politics & The English Language". He skillfully parodies meaningless words and confusing phrases, pushing for writers to simplify. He translates a verse from Ecclesiastes from good english to modern english to demonstrate:

"I am going to translate a passage of good English into modern English of the worst sort. Here is a well-known verse from Ecclesiastes:

I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

Here it is in modern English:

Objective considerations of contemporary phenomena compel the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account."

It is easy to strip writing of its power with complicated prose, and authors can benefit from asking themselves six questions that Orwell asked of his own writing.

1. What am I trying to say?


2. What words will express it?


3. What image or idiom will make it clearer?


4. Is this image fresh enough to have an effect?


5. Could I put it more shortly?


6. Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly? 


Asking these questions are a great start to making your writing simple and easy to read. One great tip that I first learned from Capon is to always edit your writing out loud. This will help insure that you are writing good english rather than modern english.

BONUS TIPS FROM ORWELL

In the same essay, Orwell gives 6 rules for writers that will also help you while writing.


" . . . One needs rules that one can rely on when instinct fails. I think the following rules will cover most cases:

(i) Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.

(ii) Never us a long word where a short one will do.

(iii) If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.

(iv) Never use the passive where you can use the active.

(v) Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.

(vi) Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.

These rules sound elementary, and so they are, but they demand a deep change of attitude in anyone who has grown used to writing in the style now fashionable. One could keep all of them and still write bad English . . ."

Follow Orwell's advice and ask yourself these six questions while sticking to these six rules, and your writing is guaranteed to improve. My favorite rule of Orwell's is the fourth, never use the passive where you can use the active. If authors would follow this rule alone, almost every piece of prose would improve dramatically.

The Power of Because - 3 Tips For Authors

I am finally getting around to reading a book that has been at the top of my list for a few months, Cialdini's Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion. I am about fifty pages into it so far and can already count it among my favorite books. I will post a review of it in the next week or so, but wanted to share one of the principles from the first chapter with you.

Cialdini notes in the first chapter, Weapons of Influence, that "a well-known principle of human behavior says that when we ask someone to do us a favor we will be more successful if we provide a reason." He cites a study by Harvard social psychologist Ellen Langer that demonstrates the power of because.

Langer conducted a study by attempting to cut in line at a library to use a copy machine. When the phrase "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I'm in a rush?" was used the success rate was 94%. However, when no reason was given and the subject just asked "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine?" the percentage dropped to 60%.

By itself, this is interesting but not really that surprising. The fascinating piece of the study is the third phrase that Langer used. The subject said, "Excuse me, I have five pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make some copies?" Note that there is no information added to this phrase; the purpose is simply restated with the word "because". You would naturally expect this to be closer to the 60% success rate, but it was 93% effective.

The simple truth is that if there is a reason for something, almost any reason, then people are more likely to respond the way we would like them to. "Because" is a powerful word and one that can be utilized wisely by authors selling their books. Here are three easy ways to incorporate this piece of psychology into selling books.

1. Know, and say, the reason why people should buy your book. You should buy my book because . . . 


2. When you are writing your book, keep this principle in mind as well. What makes your book different from others? Have you stated the reason for that clearly and succinctly?


3. Use "because" in your print advertising. Whether it is on the back of the book, online advertising, or print advertising the word "because" can convert interested lookers into readers (and potential fans).

You should use these tips because they will help you sell more books. Also, pick up a copy of Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion. It is excellent material.

Strategy & The Fat, Smoking Writer

There will always be a better strategy on the horizon, something that will really push you to finish the book you are writing, the business you will start, or the education you want to complete. There are also hundreds of programs that people follow to lose weight and get rid of bad habits. Do you really need a better system or a better diet, or is something else missing?

David Maister is a prominent business author who wrote one of the best business books available on the subject of strategy. The complete title is Strategy and the Fat Smoker: Doing What’s Obvious But Not Easy. The book is written to entrepreneurs and business owners, but I highly recommend it to anyone. Maister proposes a new definition of strategy, and it will change the way you think about the goals in your own life.

Instead of focusing on a system or a new diet, you need to focus on something that works. The winner is not the person who has the best system, but the person who resolves to follow their strategy consistently and habitually for the rest of their life. The strategy you should look for is the one you can stick to, the one that will push you to run faster and more often than the other guys in the race. For authors and wannabe authors, there are some valuable principles that you can use to start writing now.

First of all, authors need to change the definition of their writing strategy. The real strategy that you should focus on is how to do more of what you know you should do. Stop trying to figure out what to do. Stop looking for the next writing program. Instead, just write. And try to do it more than the author next door.

Reward yourself for the small things. Break your writing down into very small goals and take baby steps. Break it down and make it your goal to simply write every day. In fact, just commit to writing ten minutes a day, every day this week. That doesn’t sound impossible, does it? Reward yourself when you complete this small but significant task. Celebrating the little victories along the way builds momentum and will propel you across the finish line.

Be honest with yourself. Create a writing plan and strategy that is doable, something that you can make a habit out of. Discipline and resolve are the main goals that you should aim for. If you are not meeting your small goals along the way, if you cannot commit to writing 10 minutes a day for just one week, then your resolve is not what it needs to be. It is perfectly fine to recognize that you are not an author, it is not fine to keep lying to yourself. If your beliefs and your commitments do not line up with your actions, change one of them. Don’t choose to hover in a confused state of an unexamined life.

Write down what lies behind your goals. What are the motivations for you to write this book? Why does it matter? How will your book change the world? The goal here is to look for emotional hooks and firm principles that are motivating you to complete this work. Once you realize your true reasons for writing, it will strengthen your resolve to do the work. After all, its not just about money; it is tied to the principles that guide your life.

You make the decision, no one else. The standard excuses of time and money will stand alongside other obligations you have. “Strategy . . . a choice that each individual has to make about whether he or she wants to put more effort into her life and career in order to get somewhere new” (Maister, Strategy and the Fat Smoker, 14).

Don’t expect perfection. As you push forward, focus on the little achievements and improvements that you make along the way. Resolve and determination are shown by continuing to move forward and making positive changes to reach your goals.

Of all the people who say that they will write a book, very few accomplish their goal. Most never make it past the first chapter. Recognize that you will face both internal and external resistance, and push forward by applying some simple principles. As Maister says, strategy is the diet, not the goal. What needs to be done should be very obvious to you. It won’t be easy, but now is the time to actually do it. 

Does this definition of strategy change how you will work? 

Will you commit to writing and reach the small goals? 

What does it look like for you to pursue your goals today? 

What rewards will you get when you reach your goal? 

What happens if you don’t reach your goal?

What are you waiting for before making this happen?

Do your beliefs, values, and goals line up with your actions? If not, what will you change?

Another great book on overcoming resistance is The War of Art. It is written specifically for authors, so there is a lot to learn from it. Buy it once you have started moving towards your goal and it will encourage you along the way.

The Four Step Formula For Selling More Books

There is a popular formula in advertising that helps break down the steps that you can use to sell more products, in this case books. The formula is known as the AIDA formula, and it is a succinct, powerful way to present your book to the general public.

* Attention. This first step is the most important. What are you doing to grab people's attention? Do you need to reach more people or make your initial pitch more attractive? Both? Grab someone's attention and you will have the opportunity to sell them your book.

* Interest. Once you have someone's attention, then you must build interest in your book. Remember, there are a million books published each year now - what makes yours more interesting than the next? Be very specific at this stage. All things being equal, the book that has the most specific information written about it will win out.

* Desire. This step is often combined with interest, but should be treated as a separate step. Now that your potential reader knows exactly what the book is and why they should be interested in it, you have to help reveal their desires. Appeal to the brain during the interest stage - appeal to the heart and the emotions at the desire stage.

* Action. I have consistently found this to be the hardest step for authors to execute. After all the hard work is done in the first three steps, this should be easy. All you have to do is ask them to buy the book. If the first three steps our well thought out, the fourth step falls into place without any problem. Ask and you shall receive (well, most of the time anyways).

Want more Writing Tips? Check out our other posts on The Lucid Blog.

3 Questions For Writers From Robopocalypse

Just finished reading Robopocalypse, a new work of fiction that is shooting up the bestseller charts (its already been optioned by Spielberg for a movie). Essentially, its a book about the coming robot apocalypse. Surprisingly, it ended up being slow and boring towards the end and I would not recommend it to anyone unless they love science fiction and are looking for a mindless read.

Even though its not something that I recommend reading, the author used an interesting writing device. At the beginning of the novel, one of the main characters finds the robot "black box". It has recorded all of the major events in the war that is now over via surveillance video, interview transcripts, copies of documents, and more. This story is told through a variety of devices and perspectives, and there are some good lessons and ideas for fiction writers to learn from here.

First, what perspective do you want to tell the story in? There are many different viewpoints in a story that an author can work off of. Do you tell the story in first person or third person? Will it have one viewpoint or multiple viewpoints? Is the narrator omniscient or restricted by the medium (like a video camera)? Experimenting with different perspectives will help you consider all of these questions and write a more compelling story.

Secondly, how can you tell the story with something besides plain text? Are there any documents central to the story that move it along? What about including an interview, or the description of footage from a camera? Does this evidence draw the reader deeper into the story?

Finally, how do you create suspense with different perspectives? The fatal flaw in Robopocalypse was that the ending was already known on the first few pages of the book. Removing the suspense makes it much harder to compel readers to follow the storyline further. If you tell the story from more than one viewpoint, make sure their viewpoints are the characters and that they are limited in that way. If every character has the same point of view, then why use more than one? Be sure you don't tell too much of the story too early. Build up to the "all-knowing character" by interacting with the more limited characters first.

Great idea for a book's structure and some great lessons from it, but ultimately not a great book. Hopefully the movie turns out better and doesn't give away the story too early.

6 Tools for Writing Using the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique has been around for a long time, but I was reminded of it again in a recent post on Michael Hyatt's blog. Essentially, it is a technique for maximizing your productivity by batching tasks and accomplishing them in set amounts of time with scheduled breaks.

According to PomodoroTechnique.com, there are 5 steps to getting started right away.

1. Choose a task to be accomplished and write it down.

2. Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)

3. Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper.

4. Take a short break of 5 minutes.

5. Every 4 Pomodoro's, take a longer break, at least 20 minutes.Try using this method for writing in short bursts if you are a non-fiction writer. Break up your writing into manageable 25 minute chunks, and attack them one at a time. If you work at it and stick with this method, your writing will be accomplished faster and easier than you thought possible. Just make sure you put everything you have into the 25 minutes. 

Here are some tools to make it easier for you to get started:

• 
  The Pomodoro Technique Cheat Sheet
• A free PDF of The Pomodoro Technique book
• The Pomodoro Technique To-Do Checklist
• The Pomodoro Technique Activity Inventory
• The Pomodoro Pro app for your iPhone/ iPad
• Eggtimer/pomodoro for your timer - just refresh the page for your next segment
• Bonus: This should go without saying, but use Pandora.com to listen to music while you are working if it helps. The instrumental only channels are just as good as the rest.

3 Tips on Better Titles

You may not be able to judge a book by the cover, but people will always judge a book by its title. A Consumer Reports study says that we are exposed to 247 ads a day, but that seems low to most of us! If you want people to read your book, the choice of a title is one of the most important decisions you can make. Below are three tips that will get your title noticed:

1. Benefit, benefit, benefit. Why should I pick up your book? What is the benefit? Your title should convey the benefit that your book will bring the reader clearly and succinctly. If it is impossible to convey this in the title, make sure that is spelled out in the subtitle.

2. Be specific. Once you nail down the benefit of reading your book, spell it out as plainly as possible in concrete terms. For instance, if I wrote a book on how to sell books I could title it:Sell Your Book: Marketing for Success. To make it more effective, turn general statements into tangible, specific benefits: Sell Your Book: 38 Proven Ways to Boost Your Book Sales by 350% or More!

3. Test Your Titles. Never fall in love with just one title. Try to come up with at least 3 different titles, and then test them to see what works better. This can be as simple as asking your friends what they like better, but you will almost always receive more direct answers from strangers. You can use the restaurant strategy and talk to people about the titles and see what works best. Even a small sample size can go a long way here. For more extensive feedback, use SurveyMonkey to create a free, online survey or use Google Adwords to test multiple titles. 

For additional information on headlines, see CA$HVERTISING. For more information on how to use Google Adwords for testing, see The Four-Hour Workweek. Contact us for more information. 

Paging Dr. Flesch - The Flesch Reading Ease Formula and Score

It is easier then it has ever been to measure your work's readability. Various metrics are built right into Microsoft Word and you can use them to measure the ease of reading. One of the most popular early measurements was the Flesch Reading Ease Formula, developed in The Art of Plain Talk by Dr. Rudolph Flesch. Even though he developed this formula in the early 1940's, the simple 1 - 100 reading scale is still widely used.

It's great to know the reading ease score for your writing, but how is it calculated? Once you know the numbers behind formulas like this, you can improve your writing by making it easier to read. A good rule of thumb for non-fiction books is the easier to read, the better.

Below is the 5 Step Formula for calculating the FRES (Flesch Reading Ease Score) of your work.

Step #1: Count the Words

Step #2: Count the Syllables

Step #3: Count the Sentences

Step #4: Determine the average number of syllables per word (Divide total syllables by number of words)

Step #5: Figure the average number of words per sentence (Divide the number of words by the number of sentences)

Use the numbers from Step #4 and Step #5 in the formula below:

206.835 – (1.015 x ASL) – (84.6 x ASW)

where:

 ASL = average sentence length (the number of words divided by the number of sentences)

ASW = average number of syllables per word (the number of syllables divided by the number of words)

To improve your readability score, use shorter words and shorter sentences. This is not all you need to use to improve your writing, but knowing how to make your work more readable is a great tool for every author to have.

For more information on using the Flesch Reading Ease Formula in Microsoft Word, click here. 

Prescription for Better, Simpler Writing

In the book CA$HVERTISING, author Drew Whitman provides a four part prescription for simpler writing. Even though he is writing to marketing people primarily, his advice can be applied by any author. Pick up his book for more tips on writing and on selling your own book.

ONE: Use Short, Simple Words. Use as many one syllable words as you can. Don't use "big college words" when simple words suffice.

TWO: The Shorter Your Sentences, The Better. You want to have a variety of sentence length throughout your work, but this rule is generally true. Dr. Flesch suggests that you should aim for an average of 11 word sentences.

THREE: The Short, Short Paragraph Trick. Build your reader's momentum by incorporating short paragraphs that they can read quickly. Some author's overuse this technique and their writing appears childish, but it can be applied for great effect as well.

FOUR: Pile on the Personal Pronoun Personality. Talk about real people frequently in your work. "You" is one of the most powerful words in your arsenal, make sure to use it.

Again, CA$HVERTISING has many more great tips on the psychology of writing and selling. It is full of great information, and a great buy for anyone interested in writing and selling. 

Top Ten Writing Tips from 23 Authors

There was a great post last week on the PLoSBLOGS site. They gathered writing tips from a group of 23 accomplished authors and compiled them in one huge post. We picked out the top ten tips listed in the article and added some of our own advice to them.

1. Write Every Day. This is valuable advice, and something that anyone can use to get started. Commit to writing just 50 words a day at first if you have to, then move on from there. Chris Guillebeau, author of The Art of Non-Conformity, suggests aiming for 1,000 words a day eventually.

2. Be Ready to Amputate. The hardest thing for an author to do is to cut down their work, but it is necessary for a book to be great. Authors make the mistake of writing too much far more often then the mistake of writing too little.

3.  Leave a Rough Edge. Stop writing in the middle of a chapter, a paragraph, or even a sentence. Make it easy for you to get started the next day. It's easier to continue a thought then stare at a blank page trying to decide what you should write next.

4. Use A Detailed Outline. Authors should always try to map out where they are going before getting started. Sometimes the route will change, but at least get started in the right direction. For more information on brainstorming oultines, see our post on Mind Maps.

5. Just One Sentence. What is the one sentence that describes your book? In marketing lingo, it is calld the Unique Selling Proposition, or USP. If you had to describe your book in one sentence, and you will, what would it say? Every paragraph of every chapter should point back to that one sentence description.

6. Start Marketing Now. Start a blog, test your ideas with your close friends, seek endorsements from the right people, and prepare to market your book in person. Brush up on your presentation skills, craft a mailing list of people likely to review your book positively, and get ready. The real work starts once the book is on the shelves, not once the manuscript is handed in to the publisher.

7. Be Passionate, Not Promotional. Let your passion shine through your work and your communication. There is a tendency to use social media as a promotional blitzing tool, but it often comes across as nothing more than cheap publicity. That kind of thinking will get you nowhere fast. Instead, talk about your subject and why you love it. Promotion will come automatically when others can see your passion.

8. Use Technology. All too often, technology is an easy distraction for writers. Turn the tables on technology, and use it. Try using Scrivener to write your book. Download time management software to curb your bad internet habits. Use the editing tools in Word to improve your book. There are many great tools out there. Use your favorites, and tell others about them.

9. Get Through Your First Draft Fast. Just do it, even if its bad. Its hard to tell where you are going to go until you get this first draft down on paper. Then the real writing will begin. Or as Nancy Cooper says, "You just start working and you keep working til it’s done. That’s all there is to it; no mystery.”  


10. Write A Book You Want To Read. Your first goal should be to write an interesting book, not to write a bestseller. If your book really connects with your audience, it is more likely it will be a success commercially. Write for someone who is passionate about the subject, write a book that you would want to read.


What other tips do you think authors should know before they write a book? What practical things have you done to finish the job? Which of these tips will be the most helpful for you in the future? 

5 Ways to Write Compelling Non-Fiction

Writing non-fiction is not an easy task. When the truth limits content, we are forced to create drama, intrigue, and interest within very tight parameters. As authors, there are a few simple tips you can follow to help your non-fiction leap off the page.

1. Consider the Reader. More than your source, more than yourself, more than your research - think about what the reader will get out of this work.

2. Engage in a Conversation. Pretend that you are in a conversation with friends who love the subject you are talking about. What interests them? What do they already know about it? What will surprise them? 


3. Read Mystery Novels. One of the hardest things to do as a non-fiction writer is to keep the reader "hooked." You want to give them enough to compel them to read the next chapter, but not so much that they figure it all out too early. Mystery writers are masters at this and there is a lot to be learned from their work. Read the great mystery novels and the modern ones and your non-fiction writing should improve.


4. Know Your Material. This one is simple, but often overlooked. You should know your material very well. A good rule of thumb is the 90/10 Rule for Authors. You should know more about the subject that 90% of your target audience. The 10% who know more than you probably won't read your book anyways, do don't overdo it.


5. Simplify. It is rare that a non-fiction book conveys too little information about a subject for the reader. On the other hand, including way too much information in a book is a common mistake. Simplify your work, simplify your prose. Always ask yourself two questions from the beginning to the publication date. One, what's the point? Two, why does it matter? Stick to it, and your work will be crisper, cleaner, and more engaging.


What other methods have you found helpful for engaging the readers? What is your favorite way to "hook" the reader at the beginning? Which one of the above tips best suits your writing style? 

3 Ways to Use Mind Maps

I recently picked up a copy of The Mind Map Book, mostly by accident. I was looking for memory books in a Half Price Bookstore, and came across it in the Memory section. It is written by one of the most prolific authors on memory, Tony Buzan, but it is a departure from some of his other memory books.

Mind mapping is essentially brainstorming on paper, but Buzan has really applied this simple technique to multiple arenas. Mind Maps can be used to help make decisions, take notes, give presentations, organize complex data, and much more.

It is surprisingly simple and easy to use, but there is a lot you can learn from it. Your brain will do most of the work for you once you get started, and you will be surprised by the associations you will make beween different ideas.

For authors, there are three main ways I would suggest using Mind Maps:

1. Outline books you have read. This is a great way to have a "bird's-eye view" of an entire book. You can fit an entire book on one page, and it will have almost too much information. Very helpful if you make one of these for each book as you read it. Not only will you remember the material better, you will be able to refer back to your map to refresh your memory.

2. Brainstorming writing ideas. I always urge authors to come up with new ideas, but it can be difficult. Using Mind Maps, you should be able to brainstorm a lot of ideas quickly. The goal is to come up with a new category or a new idea, and be the first author in that category. After all, if you are first, you are the best by default. Use the Mind Map to find more ideas than you will ever be able to use.

3. Outlining your book. Use a Mind Map when you are doing your initial outline of your book. This will help you organize your data better, see associations you missed before, and spark new ideas. It will also help you break down your book into small chunks to write on. It is much easier to break down your book into smaller parts to get your writing started; sitting down to write 300 pages at once is daunting for anyone.

Use these links to find Mind Map material online. I highly recommend picking up The Mind Map Book.

Wikipedia Definition
Free Online Mind Map creation - limit 3
Mindtools Info

See my first mind map here. Have you made any mind maps? What do you find them most useful for?

The Maker's Schedule

Great post from Paul Graham on the difference between a manager's schedule and a maker's schedule. Very useful for authors to think through . . . excerpt and link to the essay are below.


One reason programmers dislike meetings so much is that they're on a different type of schedule from other people. Meetings cost them more.

There are two types of schedule, which I'll call the manager's schedule and the maker's schedule. The manager's schedule is for bosses. It's embodied in the traditional appointment book, with each day cut into one hour intervals. You can block off several hours for a single task if you need to, but by default you change what you're doing every hour.

When you use time that way, it's merely a practical problem to meet with someone. Find an open slot in your schedule, book them, and you're done.

Most powerful people are on the manager's schedule. It's the schedule of command. But there's another way of using time that's common among people who make things, like programmers and writers. They generally prefer to use time in units of half a day at least. You can't write or program well in units of an hour. That's barely enough time to get started.

Read the entire essay here

3 Tips For Speed Reading

Speed reading can change the way you research, evaluate, and how you read for pleasure. Contrary to popular belief, comprehension increases when you read faster. I read How To Read a Book a few years ago, and there are a few tips in that book that have stuck with me and helped me to read faster.

1. Don't focus on the lines of words, but the white space between the lines.

2. Don't focus on each word. Try using just two focal points, one near the beginning of each line and one near the end. You will be surprised how easy it is to read this way.

3. Force yourself to read faster. Use your finger to follow the words as you read them, and gradually increase the speed that you move your finger until you cannot keep up. Continue reading until your eyes learn to keep up with your finger.

Bonus Tip: Do not read non-fiction like you read fiction. If you don't use different reading techniques for different genres, I can promise that you are missing out. Pick up How To Read A Book for some great information on reading different genres.

Bonus Tip 2: Go to www.readingsoft.com and take a free speed reading test. I have never used their software, but you should be able to rank yourself here and see what you can improve.

How many words a minute do you read? I am at 412 words per minute on the computer test with 91% comprehension. Feels a little harder to read on a screen like this than the words on a page. What speed are you at? Have any other tips to share that have helped increase your speed?