Guest post: My book on the library shelf by Terri Morgan

The second of tonight’s guest blog posts is brought to you by multi-genre author and interviewee Terri Morgan.

My book on the library shelf

Playing the Genetic Lottery is my ninth book, but my first novel and my first self-published book. So for me, it’s very special, and I still get a thrill when I see the cover of my novel. I’m pleased to have it offered for sale in all four of the independent bookstores in Santa Cruz County, where I live. I’m so pleased, in fact, that when friends and family visit from out of town I usually take them to one or more of the bookstores so they can see my novel on the shelves.

I’m happy to say that so far my visitors have been excited to see my book for sale, or at least done a good job of pretending to. And now I’ll have another venue to show them. Yesterday the Santa Cruz Public Library System purchased four copies of Playing the Genetic Lottery. While the copies have to be entered into the library system and processed before becoming available to borrowers, I’m excited for several reasons. As an avid reader, and a longtime library patron, I’m looking forward to seeing my book on the shelves in some of the library branches that I’ve spent so much time in. I’m also very happy I was able to sell copies to the library because I was under the impression they didn’t purchase self-published books.

I had been told that by another writer who also self-published her novel. She complained to me that her local library refused to buy her book, although they did accept a donated copy. She was miffed, because the librarian told her that libraries only buy books from established publishers. Even though she volunteered regularly at her local library, the libraries acquisition department refused to make an exception for her. After hearing her diatribe about the unfairness of it all, I was almost convinced she was right.

Fortunately, however, I’ve been a journalist for most of my career, and as such, have been trained to be skeptical. As a reporter, I always tried to get “facts” confirmed by more than one source. And as a reporter, I’ve learned not to be afraid to ask questions, even if you suspect the answer will be “no comment,” “leave me alone,” or something more hostile.

So earlier this week, when I was at the library, I asked the manager who I needed to talk to about selling my book to the library system. She gave me a name and a number. As it turned out, the woman she suggested I contact wasn’t the correct person. But she was friendly and offered to find out who was. Ten minutes later, my phone rang, and another friendly woman from the library administration department was on the line, asking for information about my novel. To make a long story short, the following morning I hand delivered the books along with an invoice.

I don’t know if my local library system bucks a trend and makes exceptions for local authors or not. I do know, however, that if you don’t ask, the answer is always no. And I’m very glad I did ask. As a writer, I want my work to be read. Sure I’d prefer it if each reader purchased their own copy of my book, but as a new and relatively unknown novelist, I’m always looking for ways to get the word out about Playing the Genetic Lottery. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising I’ve found, and the more people who read it, means there is likely going to be more people talking about it. And as a longtime library patron, I’m proud to have my latest book on the library shelves for others in my community to enjoy.

Thank you, Terri!

Terri Morgan is a book junkie and journalist turned novelist from California. Her novel Playing the Genetic Lottery, was published in May 2012.

She blogs on her website at http://www.terrimorgan.net/terris-blog.html

You can contact her at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Playing-the-Genetic-Lottery-a-novel-by-Terri-Morgan/192095997524663

Twitter: https://twitter.com/soquelterri

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/397836.Terri_Morgan.

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If you would like to write a writing-related guest post for my blog then feel free to email me with an outline of what you would like to write about. If it’s writing-related then it’s highly likely I’d email back and say “yes please”.

The blog interviews return as normal tomorrow morning with historical mystery author Eleanor Sullivan – the six hundred and fourteenth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do, and a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words (and post stories of up to 3,000 words), or posted for others to critique (up to 5,000 words) on the new Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me posting it online in my new Red Pen Critique Sunday night posts, then do email me. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry and Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group.

Four new online writing groups:

• Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
• Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
• Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
• Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)

We look forward to hearing your comments.

 

Guest post: Five Qualities Every Good Writer Must Have by Benjamin Cohen

Tonight’s first of two guest blog posts is brought to you by Benjamin Cohen.

Five Qualities Every Good Writer Must Have

A lot of people think writing is easy. In reality though, to write a captivating piece of literature takes time and practice. Of course, some writers naturally have talent while other people have to work on their craft. Writing is fluid though – ideas and styles can change as time progresses, so if things aren’t clicking today, that doesn’t mean they won’t today. Nonetheless; there are certain qualities any good writer should have. If you’re wondering if you have what it takes, ask yourself if these 5 qualities describe you.

Focus

A writer must be able to focus and stay on topic. A story must have a central idea – one that is clear and easy to follow. Every paragraph must have a solid main point that the reader comprehends well. What separates good writers from great writers is often the ability to focus. Unfortunately, this is a trait that might take years to fully hone. Without focus, a writer is in serious jeopardy of losing the attention and/or respect of his or her audience.

Grammar

A writer should have the best grammar possible. Many people scoff at this idea, but in reality, poor grammar can confuse readers, and again, influence their opinion of you. Grammar goes much further than adhering to a set of rules – proper grammar allows your words to flow well and appeal to readers’ eyes and ears. Grammar really is a dying art, and many writers cause their readers confusion by writing with poor grammar. Luckily, any writer, over time, can develop excellent grammar. One way to improve is to read their work aloud. Awkward phrasing and poor grammar will be easily apparent when doing so.

Research Skills

A writer must have above superb research skills. This is because even if you excel at writing what you know, you must eventually seek greener pastures and write about something new. In order to do so, you must throw yourself into researching the topic. Even if you create a piece of work that is compelling and focused, but contains research errors, your piece and your reputation will suffer. Research skills are more important now than in the past, because so much of what’s out there online is fabricated. Proper research may involve traveling, interviewing and more, so be ready for this.

Knowing Your Audience

A lot of writers suffer when it comes to writing to their audience. However, a skilled writer should know how to write in various styles while also keeping their audience in mind. For example, someone writing a research article will want to use a different tone than someone writing a novel. That is not to say that certain fundamentals do not exist in all writing, just that a person needs to keep their readers in mind. Depending on whether you’re writing to teens, stay at home moms or PhDs, you will need to know how to appeal to different audiences.

Thick Skin

All writers should have thick skin – you will never be universally praised. For every reader who loves your work, 5 will hate it. This doesn’t mean you are a failure – just normal. You must learn to take criticism with a grain of salt. Furthermore, you have to prepared for rejection. Even JK Rowling had a hard time getting her first novel published.

Thank you, Benjamin.

Benjamin Cohen writes about his career as an author, his education in English literature and most recently, the best online colleges for liberal arts degrees.

***

If you would like to write a writing-related guest post for my blog then feel free to email me with an outline of what you would like to write about. If it’s writing-related then it’s highly likely I’d email back and say “yes please”.

Next up is ‘My book on the library shelf’ multi-genre author and interviewee Terri Morgan, then the blog interviews return as normal tomorrow morning with historical mystery author Eleanor Sullivan – the six hundred and fourteenth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, bloggers, autobiographers and more. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further. And I enjoy hearing from readers of my blog; do either leave a comment on the relevant interview (the interviewees love to hear from you too!) and / or email me.

** NEW!! You can now subscribe to this blog on your Kindle / Kindle app!

See http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B008E88JN0

or http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008E88JN0 for outside the UK **

You can sign up to receive these blog posts daily or weekly so you don’t miss anything. You can contact me and find me on the internet, view my Books (including my debut novel!) and I also have a blog creation / maintenance service especially for, but not limited to, writers. If you like this blog, you can help me keep it running by donating and choose an optional free eBook.

For writers / readers willing to give feedback and / or writers wanting feedback, take a look at this blog’s Feedback page.

As I post an interview a day (amongst other things) I can’t unfortunately review books but I have a list of those who do, and a feature called ‘Short Story Saturdays’ where I review stories of up to 2,500 words (and post stories of up to 3,000 words), or posted for others to critique (up to 5,000 words) on the new Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group. Alternatively if you have a short story or self-contained novel extract / short chapter (ideally up to 1000 words) that you’d like critiqued and don’t mind me posting it online in my new Red Pen Critique Sunday night posts, then do email me. I am now also looking for flash fiction (<1000 words) for Flash Fiction Fridays and poetry for Post-weekend Poetry and Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group.

Four new online writing groups:

• Morgen’s Online Novel Writing Group (http://novelwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/508696639153189)
• Morgen’s Online Poetry Writing Group (http://poetrywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/388850977875934)
• Morgen’s Online Script Writing Group (http://scriptwritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/319941328108017)
• Morgen’s Online Short Story Writing Group (http://shortstorywritinggroup.wordpress.com / http://www.facebook.com/groups/544072635605445)

We look forward to hearing your comments.

 

Author interview no.613 with non-fiction writer and poet Dorothy K Fletcher

Welcome to the six hundred and thirteenth of my blog interviews with novelists, poets, short story authors, biographers, agents, publishers and more. Today’s is with non-fiction author and poet Dorothy K Fletcher. A list of interviewees (blogged and scheduled) can be found here. If you like what you read, please do go and investigate further.

Morgen: Hello, Dorothy. Please tell us something about yourself, where you’re based, and how you came to be a writer.

Photo courtesy of Will Dickey

Dorothy: I have lived the bulk of my 62 years in Jacksonville, Florida. The experiences I have had and the connections that I have made as an educator have helped me immensely in furthering my writing career.  My most recent books have been local histories about the 50s and 60s in Jacksonville.  They were put out by The History Press, a company located in South Carolina and London.

Morgen: Topography is incredibly popular. My aunt’s written seven books about her town, actually not that far from London. With your non-fiction, how do you decide what to write about?

Dorothy: Most of the time, I will have a lingering image from my childhood or youth and then I begin researching the event that is behind the image.  Usually, I head for the main library and go through the microfilms of The Florida Times Union or the now-closed Jacksonville Journal.  After that, I start calling people for interviews and then, as things are revealed, I start a “retelling” which includes all of the elements I remembered and I have discovered.

Morgen: I used to do in-person or Skype interviews and really enjoyed them, although they were time-consuming. I can get to do one a day via email (and there are plenty of authors wanting to be interviewed… I’m booked up to July!) but it was great actually getting to meet / speak to people. What have you had published to-date?

Dorothy: Besides numerous poems and articles, I have published 5 books.  They are:

• The Week of Dream Horses, a children’s book, with Green Tiger Press (1984)
• The Cruelest Months, a novel about my teaching experiences in an inner city school in Jacksonville, with Xlibris (2002)
• Zen Fishing and Other Southern Pleasures, a collection of essays and poems about life in the South, with Ocean Publishing, (2005)
• Remembering Jacksonville: By the Wayside, a collection of essays written for the Florida Times Union, (2010)
• Growing Up Jacksonville: A 50s and 60s River City Childhood, a memoir about my Jacksonville childhood influences, (2012)

Morgen: I spotted Xlibris so you’ve self-published, what lead to you going your own way?

Dorothy: Yes, my second book was self-published.  After many rejections, I was finally being championed by a young editor at Thomas Dunne, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press.  Of course, after I revised the manuscript to suit them, it took almost a year for them to recommend another revision, which I did.  I waited another year to be told a different rewrite was necessary.  They wanted me to abandon my basic format because I used quotations from classics to open each chapter.  I think there was concern over copyrights or fees that needed to be paid to use the quotations. At that point, I said no.

I have done very well on my own.  I have sold over 1100 copies, quite good for a self-pub, and the book is now being used as a college text in an introduction to teaching class at Florida State College in Jacksonville. (It is interesting that my book has to be kept behind the counter because it has a tendency to be stolen—go figure.  I suppose you could say I have arrived as a writer when people feel sufficiently compelled to steal my books).

In the teaching community, I have received many supportive comments about the book and its accurate depiction of teaching.  I am afraid that traditional publishers in New York haven’t a clue what goes on in classrooms all over America, so they saw very limited possibilities for my book.

Just as a side note, I did get permissions from all living writers or the heirs of dead ones to use non-public domain quotations.  I even paid Toni Morrison’s organization $35.00 and two copies of my book to use a piece of her The Bluest Eye. I think concerns over such things revealed a lack of publishing knowledge on the part of Thomas Dunne’s organization.

Morgen: It must be so thrilling to have your books used in classes – I think an aspiration of any author. It’s true you have to be careful about quoting other works but if they were ‘classics’, you’d probably find they were out of copyright and in the public domain already. Are all your books available as eBooks? Do you read eBooks or is it paper all the way?

Dorothy: Remembering Jacksonville is available as an ebook, and Growing Up Jacksonville will be within a few months.  And as for ebook or paper, I can honestly say that I do both.  I have a Kindle and love the ease with which I am able to read lying down.  I also love being able to enlarge the fonts so that I do not need glasses.  Still, I love reading books, flipping the pages, and cuddling up on the sofa with one.  I love that I am in an age when both are possible.

Morgen: I can probably count on one hand the authors who’ve said they only read eBooks. I love the Kindle app on my iPad (and my books are only available as eBooks so I rely on those who do read them ). Did you choose the titles / covers of your books? How important do you think they are?