Why it’s Important to Support Independent Authors

Posted in Independent Publishing by heatherbwriter

You may have noticed on Twitter and other social media sites that there is a growing breed of independent authors and publishers (or Indies as we’re affectionately known). You can spot an Indie author as they’ll usually be doing all their own book promotion and will often accompany their promotional tweet with ‘#indie’. You can also check their books on Amazon or other book websites to see who is listed as the publisher; you’ll find that many are listed as both the publisher and the author.

Even if the name of the publisher is different from that of author, it may still be an independent especially if it’s a publisher you’ve never heard of. This is because many authors that self-publish choose a different name for the publisher when they list their books. For example, I publish my books under the name ‘DM Writing Services’.

As the number of independent authors continues to grow it’s important to support us for the following reasons:

– It is harder than Ever to Publish through Traditional Channels – You may have heard the stories about bestsellers (and resulting blockbuster movies) in the past that were initially turned down by the major publishers. This is increasingly the case and it deprives the book-reading public of some excellent books. Traditional publishers rarely take a chance on an unknown author no matter how good the book is. This is because they have to finance the publishing and promotion, and they want guaranteed returns.

Sadly, this means that talentless celebrities are far more likely to get published than talented authors just because they already have a following. Ironically, once an independent author proves that they can sell shedloads of books, publishers then vie for their attention. Time for the two finger salute I think.

– We’re not Pigeon Holed – Most traditional publishers want books to fit into specific genres, which stifles creativity. Generally they don’t like to take a gamble and often prefer something that has been tried and tested. However, not all books are mainstream and some can spread across a number of different genres. For example, my forthcoming novel could probably be described as ‘crime thriller meets 1980s chick lit’.

– We’re Raising Standards – We’re now combatting concerns over poor standards in indie books through organisations such as IndiePENdents and Awesome Indies. These organisations have volunteer readers who review books so that the organisations can give the books their seal of approval if they reach certain professional standards.

Just because a book is self-published doesn’t necessarily mean that it is of poor quality in terms of spelling, grammar, flow, plotting and all the other essentials. In fact, I seem to be finding a higher incidence of grammatical errors with traditionally published books and even some by major well-known publishers. I wonder if other people have also noticed this. Could it be that they are cutting corners to enable them to compete with the rising powers of the Indie army?

– We Don’t Have Big Marketing Budgets – Most of us do all our own promotion. We contact magazines, newspapers, radio, websites etc. in the hope of having our work featured, and we ‘shout’ about our books using social media and blogs. Word of mouth is vital for our success.

– We’re the Future – More and more writers are choosing to self-publish their books and there are several reasons for this:

a) Digital media makes it easier.

b) We don’t want our creativity to be stifled because of restrictions imposed by the traditional book publishing industry.

c) It’s now cheaper to print books due to the availability of platforms like CreateSpace.

d) We’re disillusioned with the traditional publishing industry.

e) Certain promotional tactics can make it possible to compete with big publishing companies and, consequently, a few independents are making a good living from their writing.

How you can Support Independent Authors

Here are a few quick and easy ways that you can lend your support:

1) If you have read and enjoyed a book by an independent author, be sure to leave good reviews on websites such as Amazon and Goodreads.

2) Help us to spread the word by sharing any promotional comments that we post on social media.

3) Read and respond to our blogs and share them too if you like what you see.

4) If you have a blog, offer guest post opportunities to writers whose books fit your business niche.

5) If you run a magazine or newspaper that features book reviews, include more books that are written by independent authors.

I hope that you have found this blog enlightening. If you have any comments to add, or if you are an author and there is something I have missed, you are welcome to leave your feedback below.

19Jun2013

Tips for Tackling Writer’s Block

Posted in Writing Tips by heatherbwriter

I have now finished my series of blogs about becoming a copywriter so I’m returning to more general writing topics for a while although I’ll still be covering copywriting from time to time. I thought I’d start with some tips on how to tackle a perennial problem for many writers – the dreaded writer’s block.

Writer’s block usually occurs when your brain is overworked so that you become mentally tired. When this happens it becomes harder to write and you can find yourself unable to produce work that’s of your usual standard. Words that would normally flow from your keyboard are difficult to find and you become increasingly dissatisfied with your work when you read it back to yourself.

There are a few ways of dealing with this problem and some will suit you better than others. It will most likely depend on the extent of the problem i.e. whether it is just a short-term blip or whether it is more long-term. Here are some tips that might help:

1. Continue writing anyway and don’t worry if it doesn’t read quite as good as it should. At least you are getting something down on paper (or screen) and you can always return to your work after sleeping on it. You will often find that you can make huge improvements once you tackle it with a fresh mind.

2. Take a rest from writing for a short while and take part in physical activities such as walking, gardening or swimming as these can enable you to relax. Even watching TV or listening to music can help; basically get involved in anything that diverts your attention from your writing and gives your brain a rest.

3. While you’re taking a break from writing it doesn’t mean you have to take a break from reading. Read a few good books or have a good browse in your local library or bookstore. Do it in a relaxed way though rather than with a particular aim in mind. The objective is to let ideas creep into your subconscious rather than trying to force them to materialise.

4. You could also try reading newspapers and magazines; all those snippets of information and short stories may just trigger something. Again, take a relaxed approach and read them purely for pleasure.

5. Go out somewhere busy such as a bar, the beach or a bustling city centre. If you’re writing a novel then it could be particularly useful to go somewhere linked with your setting. Don’t try to force ideas into your mind though; just immerse yourself in the atmosphere and enjoy some down time.

6. Try writing out of sequence. Sometimes, if you’re writing a novel, you can be stuck on a particular scene but still have plenty of ideas for what happens later in the book. In fact, you may have already worked out the ending. There’s nothing to stop you writing the plot highlights first then filling in the rest. It’s handy to start with an outline, which acts as a framework that you can then build onto, adding more and more detail as you go along.

7. If your writer’s block is particularly bad and none of the above suggestions help, take a holiday. If you enjoy reading then don’t stop doing it during your holiday but take a break from writing.

8. Lastly, and most importantly, don’t obsess about the situation. Worrying about it won’t help as your brain needs to totally switch off. Take comfort in the fact that the situation will right itself eventually. In some ways the brain can be compared to the muscles in your body. For example, if you overworked in the gym and all your muscles were aching badly then chances are you would take a few days off before returning unless you really had to train for something. The same applies to the brain.

Writer’s block can happen to anyone and even the most successful writers suffer with it from time to time. The books I am currently writing are non-fiction, which are mainly researched based and follow a set format so writer’s block is not really a problem for me at the moment. However, I have plans to return to writing novels in the near future so no doubt I’ll be recapping on this post at some point and heeding my own advice.

I hope you have found this article helpful. If so, you are welcome to leave any feedback comments below. Alternatively, if you have any tips for dealing with writer’s block, please share them.

10Jun2013

Becoming a Freelance Copywriter – Part 7 – The Financial Aspects

Posted in Copywriting by heatherbwriter

There are many good things about being self-employed but, unfortunately, along with the benefits comes the burden of having to keep financial records. Let’s be honest; it’s not a task that many of us enjoy but there are ways in which you can make it easier for yourself.

Record Keeping
I have never found the need to invest in costly, time-consuming accounting software. I find it much easier to keep two spreadsheets; one recording my income and the other recording my outgoings. For income you should include your invoice number, date, amount and description, and also add columns for the amount and date of payment as well as columns showing total income, total paid and total outstanding. The spreadsheet for expenditure is similar but you would divide the columns into different types of expenditure to make it easier when you fill in your tax return at the end of the year.

I use an invoice numbering system beginning with the letter S (for sales) for all my client work and the letters BS for all my book sales. For client work I issue an invoice as soon as the work is complete and enter it onto my spreadsheet. This enables me to keep a record of all the invoices I have issued, and with my current spreadsheet I have a separate column for book sales so that I can see how well my books are selling. You will find it easy to get hold of an invoice template on the Internet, which you can adapt for your own use. Every time I update my spreadsheets e.g. by adding invoices, expenditure or payments received, I back the spreadsheet up so that I don’t lose valuable information.

Don’t forget that there are a number of items for which you can claim through your business such as the use of a home office, pension contributions etc. You can find information regarding items you can claim for on the HMRC website at: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/incometax/tax-allow-ees.htm.

Your Trading Status
From my point of view, as a freelancer there is little to be gained from operating as a limited company, even if you occasionally enlist outside help. In fact, there are a lot of drawbacks financially. You have to open a separate business banking account often entailing increased bank charges, you need insurance and there is a lot of form-filling as well as various rules and regulations. I therefore find it much easier to operate as a sole trader, and you can still have a separate name and brand for your company if you want to.

Credit Control
I worked in credit control for about 14 years prior to becoming a writer so I’m aware of the problems that this can sometimes present. Here are some tips that might help you when it comes to credit control:

1) Agree terms with the client at the outset. I send a simple quotation document with a few terms at the bottom. These set out when payment is required and the number of revisions that are included in the price. Ask the client to agree to your quotation before work goes ahead as this will avoid problems in the long run.

2) Always bear in mind that it is you who sets the terms, not the client. Many clients insist that they take 30 days credit but it is up to you whether you choose to allow this. This is often because they have monthly payment runs but it is always possible for companies to issue separate payments if they want to. I usually ask for payment within 7 days as I think that this is a reasonable period to enable the client to process payments.

If you want to be paid more quickly than the company’s usual timescales explain to the customer that you do not offer extended credit because you are a sole trader and rely on income from clients for your living expenses. Some clients may still insist on lengthier payment terms and it will be up to you whether you think that it is worthwhile waiting e.g. because the client gives you a lot of work and you are confident that he will keep to his word.

3) When you start working for a new client check him out to see whether he is in a good financial position. The website https://www.duedil.com/ gives you a certain amount of free financial information about limited companies, but there are also paid services you can use. You will find the Companies House website useful at: http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/.

4) If a client’s invoices become overdue, it is important to maintain contact. Don’t be frightened of asking for payment; it is your money after all. It is usually best to make contact by telephone as this enables you to get a feel for the situation. Also, make sure you are speaking to the right person. You could start by contacting the member of staff responsible for processing payments then move onto the finance manager if you have no success.

If you have given the client sufficient opportunity to make payments and he still hasn’t paid, it may be time to threaten further action. Before doing so, though, think about whether this could jeopardise any chances of future work. It is also standard practice to send a 7 day letter (or a Letter before Action) before taking a client to court. You can find further information on the Citizen’s Advice website at: http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/.

This is the seventh blog in my series about becoming a freelance writer. To view any of the earlier blogs in the series please visit the blog archive. If you have found this blog useful, or any others in this series, you are welcome to leave any feedback in the comments box below. You can also use the comments box if you have any questions and I will respond via the blog.

4Jun2013

Becoming a Freelance Copywriter – Part 6 – Retaining Customers

Posted in Copywriting by heatherbwriter

Now that you’ve built up your client base you need to make sure that you retain those clients because your connections with them could lead to regular ongoing work. Here are some tips that should help:

Maintaining Quality

There’s an old adage that you’re only as good as your last piece of work and that is particularly true in the writing industry. It is important to maintain both the quality and the punctuality of your writing no matter how busy you may become. This can be difficult at times when you have a heavy workload, but don’t be tempted to do a rush job, which doesn’t match your usual quality standards. Just because you have done good work for a client in the past doesn’t mean they will retain your services if you return writing that is sub-standard.

To ensure that you haven’t made any mistakes with your writing you should always proofread it a couple of times. You will find it easier to spot errors if you approach it afresh. I usually check through my work straight after I have written it then put it to one side and proofread it the following day. I prefer to proofread first thing in the morning before I start work on other writing projects. You will be amazed to find how much easier it is to spot errors after you have slept on it and approached the task with a clear head.

Be realistic about timescales because if you fail to deliver a project on time it will only lead to disappointment on the part of the client. As a freelance copywriter you are bound to get periods when everything seems to come in at once followed by quiet periods. This is one of the reasons that I decided to write and publish my own books as it is something productive that I can fit around client projects, whilst still utilising my skills as a writer.

In time you will learn to manage these fluctuations. However, in the meantime you will have to balance your workload in the best way you can. Managing a demanding number of projects will sometimes entail having to make crucial decisions. For example, if a client is really valuable to you, can you really afford to put him off if he has an urgent requirement? You may decide that it would be best to put him at the front of the queue and ask other clients whether they would mind waiting a little longer. Alternatively, you may decide that it is worthwhile pulling out all the stops for a couple of weeks and working longer hours until your workload is more manageable.

Keep in Touch

Bear in mind that clients have urgent requirements and not so urgent requirements. With the latter clients tend to put off these tasks choosing to concentrate on the more pressing needs of their businesses. In fact, sometimes they forget about them altogether until something jolts their memory. That’s why it’s handy to keep in touch. However, it’s not a good idea to bombard clients with emails every week as this can become irritating as we all know. Instead you should only contact them by email when you have something worth reporting such as a special offer.

Social media is a handy way of keeping in touch with clients and I always try to connect with clients on Facebook or Linked In. With these channels it is accepted as the norm to make regular postings, and people following you can choose whether or not they want to read the information you are posting. So, if you publish a blog and link to it from Facebook or Linked In it may remind your clients of your presence. Also, if you provide valuable information via your blog it will serve to reinforce your professional prowess.

Entice Them

One good reason to contact a client directly by email would be if you are running a special promotion. This could be a percentage discount on all services or perhaps you will offer a discount for certain areas. I offer a permanent discount for bulk articles and blogs as companies have a regular need for these. Commissioning regular articles can also work out costly for businesses who constantly publish them to maintain their Internet Search Engine Rank. So, if you have a new client that you have just written the web copy for, it may be a good idea to let them know if you offer a discount for bulk article copywriting.

This is the sixth part in my series of articles about becoming a freelance copywriter. Part 7 will discuss the financial aspects. If you have found this post helpful or you have any questions you’d like to ask, please feel free to post your comments below.