Those Pesky, Unwanted Black Lines in Your Manuscript

Do you suffer from those pesky* black lines that appear in your manuscript for no apparent reason and will not delete under any circumstance?

I had this problem, literally for years, when I was working on Zinovy's Journey.  I was super frustrated, because I could not submit a manuscript to an editor in that condition.  

I finally asked a workshop presenter at a Mt. Hermon Writers' conference what to do about the problem.  She couldn't help me, but a couple of young techie guys sitting behind me heard my question and solved the problem in less than three minutes.

First, the problem:  

It happens with Word, when you use a repeated series of symbols without spaces between them in your text, as you might do when you're creating scene breaks.  Word "auto format," in its great wisdom, thinks you're trying to create a border, so it gives you part of one, across the page, at whimsically selected places throughout your text.

Here's the simple solution:

1)  Highlight the text on either side of the black line.  Word won't let you highlight the black line, itself, but if you select the text above and below it, continuously, the black line will be highlighted invisibly.

2) Go to "format" in the menu bar at the top of the document, then select "borders and shading," and click on "none." The black line will disappear as mysteriously as it has appeared.

3)  Ever after, if you want to use symbols for scene breaks, just put a space between each character and it won't happen again.

When you do get a manuscript in front of an editor, they will likely take out all your fancy-dancy scene breaks anyway, but in the meantime you can enjoy them all by yourself.

Hope this helps!  Happy un-formatting!

____________

* (Randy Ingermannson's favorite word)

The Mystery of Marketing

Since the debut of Zinovy's Journey in October, 2011 (Has the book really been out that long?) I notice that all my posts on this blog have veered over toward the marketing department, either directly or indirectly. 

The Authorial Process

When the authorial process begins, all the action takes place in the writing department.  But it very quickly (don't ever use either of those two adverbs, especially right next to each other) moves over into the editing department, and the two department heads (or the two-headed monster, whichever analogy seems appropriate to you) wrestle back and forth with each other until both are exhausted and left, sweating and panting, on the editorial floor.  

At this point the publishing department (in my case the self-publishing department) picks up the manuscript, wipes away the blood, sweat and tears, whips the product into a more-or-less presentable condition, and puts it on Amazon.com.   

From there, the product moves into the marketing department, and it stays there forever. 

Marketing--The Great Mystery

How does marketing work?  Is it magic? Miracle? Or just more blood, sweat and tears?  

I asked my friend and mentor, Jeff Gerke, for advice on this mystery.  He's young, bright, excited about writing, imaginative and experienced in all aspects of the writing process, so I figured if anyone could solve this mystery it would be him. 

Here is. . .

Jeff Gerke's Marketing Formula:

I'm a believer in what I call the 30-to-1 Marketing Plan.  You have to do 30 things to market your book before 1 of them works. 

The problem is that you don't know which one it was, and if you did it again, it wouldn't work again.  So you have to keep doing those and 30 [other] new things to get a new 1.  Do that enough times and your 1's will finally begin to add up. 

There really is a correlation between elbow grease and results, when it comes to marketing fiction.  My authors who do less to market their books tend to sell fewer copies than my authors who work longer and harder to promote their books.

So there it is.  Jeff would be the first to say that magic plays a part.  He is, after all, a fantasy writer.  And he believes in miracles as well.  But bottom line, like any other great achievement in life, it's the well-greased elbow that gets the job done.

I'm pushing up my sleeves as we speak.

P.S.  If you're a writer of faith-friendly books who is considering self-publishing, I highly recommend Jeff Gerke's services.  He is a well-respected fiction-writing jack-of-all-trades, with experience in all aspects of publishing. He was invaluable in my process, as a consultant, an editor, a typesetter, a cover designer and, through it all, an encourager. 

Five Ways To Discover the "Social" in Social Media

I'm lonesome.  This morning I woke up to thirty messages in my e-mail inbox and not one of them was from a real person.  At least not directly. 

It's my fault.  In some kind of a crazed feeding frenzy, I signed up for each of those messages at one time or another.  But instead of appeasing my appetite, they've just made me hungrier. Why? Maybe it's because they don't have what I'm really hungry for. 

I'm hungry for the social, but I'm only finding the media. 

I'm beginning to realize that social media only provides the kind of interaction I might find by myself at a bar in a strange town.  The bar is full of interesting people, for sure, but the noise level is so high, and the smell of stale alcohol so strong, that I can't really focus on any one person and get to know them in a meaningful way.

When I do start a conversation, I often discover the person at the other end of the interaction is only there to hook up with someone for the evening.  Their immediate, baser personal hungers are driving the relationship. 

Whoa.  Wait a minute.  I'm there for the same reason.  No wonder I'm not finding my hunger satisfied in this place.

So where do I go from here?  How do I extract myself from this stinky bar and find real relationships with real people?  

Here's a plan, a quick "to do" list.  I'm not promising anyone, including myself, that it's going to work any better than my New Year's resolutions do.  But at least it's a start.

I will:

1.  Unsubscribe from impersonal sites.  Leave only connections directly related to people I have met face-to-face or at least communicated personally with via some kind of electronic avenue.

2.  Communicate personally with those I leave on my subscription list.  Comment on their posts, or tweet to them, or e-mail, always with something significant and specific to say about their messages.

3.  Tweet meaningfully. I will send a personal tweet message to everyone who "follows" me on Twitter, asking them to explain why they followed and and give me some personal information. I've actually already begun doing this and it's revealing.  The responses I get are fascinating, and if I don't get a personal response, with a tidbit of personal information in it, I don't follow back.  

4.  Forget about Marketing.  Yes, I mean that.  I need to give up the idea of promoting my book on social media.  If people discover Zinovy's Journey through my social media connections, it will have to be a natural and unpremeditated occurrence.

5.  Pray that God will direct my steps.  I will trust the Holy Spirit to be my social secretary.  I will make sure my spirit is in tune with the Spirit of Jesus, and then I will interact, personally and honestly, only with connections I feel drawn to.

Already I'm struggling with this process.  I just went to my inbox and successfully unsubscribed from three connections, but then I got to my daily Twitter message, telling me who I might like to follow, and ended up signing on to yet another irresistible blog. 

Sigh.  Three steps forward and one backward.  But I did comment on that blog post, and it felt a lot more satisfying than simply signing up. And I'm not giving up on this idea. I'm going to plug away at the process, living and learning, looking for meaningful relationships in the maze of social media.

That Illusive Target Called "Audience"

Zinovy's Journey has been published for a year now and I still haven't figured out who it was published for.  I guess it's because the story hooked me before the idea of audience did.  I had no idea who I was writing for, way back then.  I just knew I had to write.

I still don't know who it's for.  I'm getting great reader reviews from men and women, young and old, Christian and non-Christian. 

I know it's probably a cop-out to say Zinovy's Journey is a mainstream novel, but I'm beginning to think it might be (And, yes, I am aware of all the hedge words in that sentence). 

Zinovy's Journey has a universal hook (the world is destroyed at the beginning of the book); a universal storyline (the hero's journey); a universal internal conflict (the search for meaningful relationships in life); a universally appealing external conflict (an innocent child in danger).  All this should lead to a universal appeal, right? 

So why aren't people flocking to my website to buy it?

I know the answer.  It's marketing.  That's where I'm at right now.  I'm using a shot-gun approach.  Probably not the best idea.  Instead I should be taking aim at a number of specific targets.  But the number of possibilities is playing Russian roulette with my mind.

This article by Randy Ingermannson is helpful, however.  Randy gives us a new way to look at "targets."  He borrows an idea from John Locke, who says our target audience can be more accurately determined by what emotions our story evokes.  Interesting thought.  Encouraging. 

Now if I could just figure out an effective way to hit the readers' emotions in that big, crazy world of bulls eyes out there.

7 Essential Steps Toward Marketing For the Christian Author

These seven steps toward book marketing for the Christian author may seem obvious, but sometimes we need to be intentional in our thinking about what's most important. Please comment. Let me know your thoughts on this topic. Agree or disagree. Add to or subtract from this list.

1.  Pray for guidance.

Prayer for guidance has to be the first, and single most important marketing "tool" for the Christian author. 

Finding a market for our books is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. Unless you believe in luck, there's no way to find that needle in today's marketplace without specific guidance. Every step of the journey in the writing of my book, so far, has been taken prayerfully, and I have convincing evidence that my steps have been directed. Why would I now expect to take the marketing steps on my own, without that guidance?

Remember those times you asked the Lord to help you find something you'd lost?  Do it again. Ask Him to help you find your audience. The Bible says, "Your ears will hear a word behind you, 'This is the way, walk in it,' whenever you turn to the right or to the left." (Isaiah 30:21). Commit your way to the Lord and then tune your ear to 'the word behind you.'

2.  Proceed gently.

Proceed gently, probing patiently for that jewel of a connection that will bring your book to the attention of readers. 

Just as the writing of the book was a process--a series of small, seemingly insignificant steps down a long and dusty highway--so will be the marketing.  Think of the marketing goal you are pursuing as if it were a rare orchid, or a precious archeological find. You wouldn't go after either of these treasures with a bulldozer.  

So, too, in your marketing endeavors, don't rush headlong in every direction.  Listen for the quiet Voice and obey, even when it looks like you're going nowhere.  Even when you don't see a clear destination.  Even when you're tempted to forget that you're following an all-knowing Guide.

3.  Value every step.

Not every connection you make, through social media or personal contact, will necessarily lead to a viral presence on the internet, but every connection will be meaningful. 

Every person you connect with is an eternal being, of great value to God.  Each person is, in fact, more valuable than the piece of writing you are promoting, even when the writing has an eternal purpose. 

Never let your goal of promoting your work overshadow your goal of interacting with and loving people to the glory of God.  And remember that people can sometimes be angels unawares.

4.  Listen to advice from wise persons.

Others who have been on the journey before you are great resources.  Collect tips from successful writers and publishers and follow up on the ones that seem most relevant to your situation. 

Michael Hyatt and The Passive Voice are two blog sources of marketing/publishing information that I read constantly for help on this journey.  Michael Hyatt is helpful because he speaks from great experience as a publisher, but he never lets his experience overshadow the wisdom of the Great Communicator.

The Passive Voice is useful because The Passive Guy collects the best information from a variety of other sources and puts them in a form that is easily accessible.  I don't have to surf for the best information, particularly on self-publishing. 

Look for your own favorite sources and pay attention to them.

5.  Use your own common sense.

God anoints common sense that is attuned to the sound of His voice.  Advice from wise persons may not always be wisely applied to your own situation.  Sometimes your own instincts are better. 

Pay attention to your own inner instincts.  If you are following all of the above steps, your common sense will be a reliable source of wisdom, and a gold mine of inspiration for the journey.

6.  Trust your Guide.

Anointed common sense may or may not follow logical or worldly-wise road signs.  It might lead you on detours that take the long way around.  That's okay.  In marketing, as in writing, the journey is part of the destination.  And you have no way of knowing what time-consuming obstacles those detours might be saving you from. 

Trust your Guide to use your instincts to accomplish the right purposes.

7.  Journal your journey.

Keep track of the progress you make, the steps you take and the places those steps lead you.  Do this for two reasons: 

First, so you can look back one day and see how beautifully you have been led. 

Second, so your journey can be an encouragement to others who are coming along behind you. 

You are in the process of becoming one of those "wise persons" you are now listening to.  Record the wisdom, for your sake and for the sake of others.  For the sake of God's Kingdom.

So the gist of this advice?  Pray.  Be patient.  Listen to the right voices. Enjoy the journey.  You will never pass this way again, and this way is glorious.

Looking for more specific, practical advice?  Next post will give 7 Practical Ways to Market Your Self-Published Book.  

I'm not promising when that post will go up, but I do promise I will plod doggedly down the road toward that next little writing goal!

May God bless you as you do the same.