7 Tips on How to Write a Book

This article was first published here several years back, but we felt it could find new life to some readers who missed it the first trip around!

1. Write your book. Whether it’s non-fiction or fiction, Fantasy, Autobiography, Crime or Mystery, just write what you feel. Never worry about editing as you go; as that will bury your creativity.

2. Find a quiet place to write. An extra bedroom, office, or even a garage (preferably heated), are all good places “away from it all.” Never look for your muse where friends or family are always interrupting you.

3. Set time aside to write. It takes time to find your inspiration to write. It’s not likely you will write well or accomplish much in a ten minute session. Allow yourself at least two hours to work on your writing project.

4. Choose you books topic according to demand. Are there a million books already written which follow the path of your story or subject? Is there even an audience out there who will buy your book? With nearly 30 books being released in the U.S. every hour of every day, the competition is fierce. If you plan to sell your book to the reading public, make sure you will have a customer base before you put your time and money into publishing a book.

5. Draw an outline for your book before you begin. A well drawn out outline will keep you focused on your total project. Outline your story or information. For fiction book writing, an outline of your plot, when to introduce your characters, and path of the story, that is, the beginning, middle, and ending placed into chronological order. For non-fiction book writing, the same applies. Organize your information into a logical and useful order.

6. Choose your title carefully. Not only is a catchy title a must, but for non-fiction and some fiction books, your title words will most likely be used as “key words” when a potential book buyer searches the Internet for a book similar to yours.

7. Once your book is complete, find a professional editor to fix your mistakes. Spell Check in your writing software is not enough to handle the job.

Carol Denbow is the author of five books, including A Book Inside, How to Write, Publish, and Sell Your Story, available at Amazon.com. She is also a regular contributor to numerous writers’ websites and newsletters and has been a featured guest on radio and television.

Please visit Carol’s Websites at Author’s Box at http://www.authorsbox.com and Books By Denbow at http://www.booksbydenbow.weebly.com.

How to Find an Illustrator When Writing a Children’s Book with Author Ryan Cunningham

Today we are interviewing 2-time Oregon author Ryan Cunningham. Ryan has recently released a children’s book titled Gary’s Gray World. The book is filled with beautiful artwork which attracts the child’s eye with great interest. But Ryan is an author, not an artist, so how did he find and hire the perfect artist for his illustrations? Let’s chat with Ryan and find out.
Carol Denbow: Welcome Ryan, we’re very happy to have you here on A Book Inside.
Let’s start by finding out where the idea for Gary’s Gray World came from?

Ryan Cunningham: My inspiration for writing “Gary’s Gray World” came from watching my nephew, Dan grow up without his biological father being there for him. Dan is now thirteen years old, but he has no contact with his real dad. When Dan was born his father wasn’t in the picture very much. My sister raised him by herself except with the help of our parents and myself.

Carol Denbow: Did you have an idea in your mind as to what your characters would look like before you wrote the book?

Ryan Cunningham: No, I actually did not.

Carol Denbow: Many of our blog visitors are currently working on or are planning to write a children’s book. Where did you locate “the perfect artist” for Gary’s Gray World?

Ryan Cunningham: I found the artist, Chrissy Fanslau, through a networking website for writers and illustrators called jacketflap.com. Chrissy’s artwork stood out from others I researched with her descriptive and life-like facial expressions in her characters.

Carol Denbow: If you don’t mind my asking, what did you need to pay for each illustration?

Ryan Cunningham: I'd rather not say. You pay for quality and her talented artwork just felt right for my story.

Carol Denbow: In your search for an artist, did you find that all artists charge about the same, or did they vary in cost?

Ryan Cunningham: They do vary in cost depending on how long the artist has been in the business and if they have a good reputation.

Carol Denbow: Did you get a sample of the illustrations before committing to an artist, or was it a crap-shoot on the final submission?

Ryan Cunningham: Chrissy sent me each finished illustration and if I wanted any changes she would make the changes before going to print.

Carol Denbow: Where would you suggest a writer begin their search for a good artist?

Ryan Cunningham: Maybe the best way is to check out the local art gallery or museum for local artists who display their art in these places regularly. If that doesn’t work then I suggest look up artists on line and check out their web sites.

Carol Denbow: You have also written a book of poetry, can you please tell us a little about it, title, and subject matter?

Ryan Cunningham: The title is “Hearts, Hopes, and Halos.” This is a book of inspirational poems, love poems, and poems about angels.

Carol Denbow: Ryan, thank you for taking the time to be here with us. Is there anything you might like to add before we finish?

Ryan Cunningham: I am grateful that I was given the gift and ability to write poetry and stories. I want to bring hope and inspiration to people who read them.

Carol Denbow: Where can our blog visitors learn more about your books?

Ryan Cunningham: Through my web site; http://imagination-inspiration.webs.com. There are links on my site to where the books are sold; amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com.

Ryan recently completed a Virtual Book Tour online. Follow his tour, or get some ideas on how to do a tour of your own:







Gary’s Gray World; The Story: When Gary's father is too busy to play, a scary moment at the baseball field brings his dad rushing to the park to rescue him. But instead the two discover that making time for each other is the most important thing in a father and son relationship.

Excerpt for Gary’s Gray World:

“What are your plans for today, Son?” asked Dad, putting on his coat and hat.

“Today’s the annual father and son baseball game.” Gary brightened. “Don’t you remember?”

His father abruptly stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Gary with an apologetic expression on his face.

“I’m sorry, I can’t be there. I’ve got too much work to do at the office. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Sure. That’ll be fine,” said Gary, trying not to sound too disappointed.

Bio: Born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1972, Ryan J. Cunningham discovered his passion for writing poetry and children’s stories at an early age. Throughout his high school and college years, he took writing courses to enhance his writing abilities. Ryan became a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.) He published two inspirational books of poems titled “Angels Near and Far” and “Hearts, Hopes, and Halos.” His poetry and stories have been published in anthologies and magazines. Ryan presently resides in Coos Bay, Oregon where he spends his time hiking the trails, spending quality time with family, and working on his personal web site, (http://imagination-inspiration.webs.com) to share his poems and stories with the world.

Tweet about it: Twitter URL: https://twitter.com/rinopoet72

Share it: Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/ryan.cunningham.3760

Buy it: Purchase paperback copy at http://www.amazon.com/Garys-Gray-World-Ryan-Cunningham/dp/1463670168

Purchase Kindle copy at http://www.amazon.com/Garys-Gray-World-ebook/dp/B005BYJLMS/

There’s More Than One Way to Write a Book!

As with many tasks in life, there is more than one way to achieve the goal of writing a book. But what if there are numerous contributors to the book; two, three, or even four people working on it at one time? These may include a couple different authors cooping, a person in charge of design, Introduction, Indexers, and even a different person who is not a writer, but came up with the original idea for the book. How do all these people successfully work together?

One of these instances is a new release titled, Gal Pal Poker. With a whopping 13 authors and contributors, it’s amazing this project could come together at all—and successfully!
Gal Pal Poker is a fun-filled book with unique poker games, poker trivia (you must read about Poker Alice, WOW!>>>>), and delicious food and drink recipes. And while there was only one primary “writer,” all 13 had a part to play in the composition of the book. In addition to the actual writer, there was an art contributor, a chef for recipes, and ten 60 and 70 something “mature” women adding their original home-made poker games to the mix.

A Bit of History…
Over a ten year period (and counting) the woman of the Gal Pal Poker group have been meeting twice monthly for a fun-filled night of laughter and camaraderie. Gal Pal Poker is an accumulation and explanation of standard poker games the woman have tweaked and re-created to add to their already good time.

So how did they get this project together with so many contributors?—it wasn’t easy! The “players” first began by writing out each of their “unique” games on scratch paper and handed them over to the primary writer. The “writer” edited the games and put them in order under in categories, i.e., games played with 3, 5, or 7 cards. Then they were laid out into Stud or Draw games. Once this process was done, recipes were created and added. The trivia was researched and added to fill in the gaps. Sound easy? Nope. When you’re working with so many contributors, things get added at last minute and other things need to be moved and rearranged like crazy! After each rearrangement was finished, the script then had to get into the hands of each of the contributors for approval; then came the editing. With each person having their own ideas and perspectives on how the book should be laid out and read, the changes and adjustments were tremendous. And with this one off visiting family this week, and that one on vacation next week, all in all, this process took nearly two years to complete. The Gals sadly even had one of their own die suddenly from a massive heart attack during the process.

The Gals suggest that if you are contemplating co-authoring a book with others, set a plan and designate each contributor to their own job—and stick to it! Make a schedule of when you will meet as a group and use that time to cover all the issues that arise with book production.

Since the Gal Pal women are mature and not necessarily in need of extra income, they decided as a group to donate proceeds from the sale of this book to The Women’s Safety and Resource Center in Coos Bay, Oregon. The Women’s Safety and Resource Center exists to contribute to a violence-free community by providing a safe haven and life-building empowerment for abused women and children and inspiring the community to new levels of cooperation, thoughtful effort, and action.

No money? So why did they write it? After speaking to each of the women, it seems they just wanted to share the enjoyment they’ve had for so many years and encourage other women to keep bonded and spend special time together. “Gals need to stay close to their Gal friends, especially after marriage.” The donation part was actually an afterthought.

Gal Pal Poker is available through all the normal sellers including Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Nook, and Kindle. Or simply ask your local book seller.

The Gal Pals do have a new website (still under construction) at www.galpalpoker.webs.com and even a gift shop at galpalpoker

This book would make a wonderful Christmas gift or “bachelorette” party gift! It’s a really nice book and I think I’ll order it and put together my own Gal Pal Poker night!!

Let’s help the Gal Pals get the word out about this great book and support this wonderful charity by posting this article to your Facebook page or Tweet about it! Thanks!

Writer’s Digest celebrates NaNoWriMo

Writer’s Digest celebrates NaNoWriMo with free giveaways all month long!

Check out http://bit.ly/RFgQkA every Monday - Friday in the month of November to access the content.

Writer’s Digest will spotlight subsequent weekly themes that aim to guide the NaNoWriMo participant through the novel writing process. The schedule includes:

Nov 1-2: Creativity / Idea Generation

Nov 5-9: Story Structure / Plotting

Nov 12-16: Character

Nov 19-23: Inspiration

Nov: 26-30: Endings / Revision

Have fun everyone!

Author Robin Murphy Talks About How to Write a Book Series?

Today we’re talking to 2-time author Robin Murphy about how she planned and is
executing her new book series. Robin is the author of Sullivan’s Secret and the saga, Secret of the Big Easy. Robin’s website can be seen at www.robinmurphyauthor.com.

Carol Denbow: Robin, I really enjoyed Sullivan’s Secret and am looking forward to reading your newest book, Secret of the Big Easy. It must be hard to write a series of connecting books. Can you please start by telling us if when you first dreamed up Sullivan’s Secret, did you plan on a continuing saga for the book?

Robin Murphy: Hello Carol, thank you for having me here today. I will admit I didn’t decide that in the beginning of Sullivan’s Secret. I think it came to me when I realized there was so much more to tell about Marie and the SIPS team and at the end of the first book, I needed to have the characters continue on.

Carol Denbow: For a book series, do you think breaking up a complete story into segments and finding a cut-off point to start a new book would be best, or wrapping one up and then dreaming up a new “similar” storyline for the next book (similar to yours)?

Robin Murphy: As a reader I like to have a finale that leaves a hint of another story to be told. So I pulled that theory into my writing. I wanted to satisfy the reader in Sullivan’s Secret, but left it linger enough to hint there was more to come. It was natural to carry the similar storyline into Secret of the Big Easy but added a new setting, plot, and some interesting new characters.

Carol Denbow: I recall that for your first book, you traveled around to find a location to base your story from. Did you do the same for Secret of the Big Easy?

Robin Murphy: Yes I did. My husband and I took a trip to the French Quarter in New Orleans. Some of the story was already written so it was fun to have dinner at a restaurant that was mentioned in my book. I felt as if I had literally stepped into my book which helped me bring every sight, scent, and sound from N’awlins into the story.

Carol Denbow: Do you have plans to continue on with a third book?

Robin Murphy: Yes, I do. This story is going to take place in Washington, DC and explore more spirits, ghost investigations, a little dab of politics, and of course…murder.

Carol Denbow: In your opinion, how many books in a series are reasonable before a reader might “lose interest” in that story and you need to start something new?

Robin Murphy: That’s the age old question and I’ve asked myself that many times. I think it’ll be when I’m possibly tired of writing the series. It’s very clear if my writing feels flat or stale it’s going to come across to a reader. Readers are intelligent and they want to read great stories.

Carol Denbow: Writers speak about a fiction book having a beginning, the central story, and an ending. When writing a series, do you still focus on that, or is there a different recipe for writing?

Robin Murphy: I can’t speak for other writers, but for me, as I said earlier, I like to have a finale. So I incorporate those elements, but at the end leave that hint of there being more in the next book.

Carol Denbow: How long should a writer pause before releasing a new book in the series?

Robin Murphy: I don’t know if there’s a definitive answer for that. If you have an agent or a traditional publisher there may be deadlines you need to meet. Some say you don’t want to wait more than a year so the reader doesn’t forget about you or the story. For me, it was just a year since my first book was published and with working full time, that’s about all I can produce without losing my joy for writing.

Carol Denbow: Did you start working on the newest book immediately after publishing the first one, or was it already “in the works?”

Robin Murphy: I already had the ideas floating around in my head and jotting them in my journal while the first book was being published. I need to write, it doesn’t stop for me, so it continues on with lulls here and there…depending on what’s going on in my life, lol.

Carol Denbow: What advice would you give a new writer who is entertaining the idea of writing a book series?

Robin Murphy: You really need to be sure you have enough of a storyline to carry through for a series. A few tips I can offer are to be sure to bring enough back-story into the next book, but not too much as to bore the reader. It’s a bit of a fine line, but you can incorporate back-story through dialogue instead of having a detailed paragraph. I would also advise to keep notes on everything because you will inherently be re-using descriptions of characters and/or places, and you certainly don’t want to confuse the reader because you’ll lose them in a heartbeat. But one important key is to have each book worthy to stand alone. I received a great review from a reader stating that when she read Secret of the Big Easy she had enough back-story to understand the book and couldn’t wait to go back and read Sullivan’s Secret.

Carol Denbow: Robin, as always, it’s been a pleasure and we thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with us today. Do you have anything you would like to add in closing?

Robin Murphy: Thank you Carol, as always it’s been fun. For writers, just have fun with your writing and don’t let anyone steal your joy. For readers, if you love paranormal mysteries go out and purchase Sullivan’s Secret and then Secret of the Big Easy. You won’t be disappointed.

Robin Murphy’s books can be found at all the usual places and on her website at www.robinmurphyauthor.com.