I’ve Submitted My Book—Now What?

By Linore Rose Burkard

First of all, if you’ve finished a book and begun to submit it to carefully researched publishers, congratulations! Most people never finish the book they dream of one day submitting. But don’t think your work is done. In some ways, it’s just beginning.

Assuming that you’ve written the best book you are capable of, your focus needs to shift from writing to establishing yourself online. This is not to say that you should stop writing. Once you submit your work, in fact, it’s a good idea to move right onto the next project, the next book. This keeps your creative juices flowing, and in the event a publisher does like your work, it won’t be long before they’re asking to see what else you have.

On the other hand, editors and publishers like an author to have an online presence, or platform. If it comes down to a choice of publishing only one of two authors, one of whom is well established on the web, and the other isn’t—chances are they will choose the one with a web presence. Why? Because the writer who has been networking with other writers, creating a website or blog, interacting with readers, and so on, will likely to be better able to market their work once it is published. Better marketing leads to better sales, and let’s face it: without good sales our publishers can’t stay in business! Authors today are expected to be partners in the work of marketing and promoting their books.

So, what to do? Where to begin? Here’s my top five steps to establish yourself on the web.

1. Get a website or blog.

It’s best to have a website where you can post examples of your writing, book covers, reader testimonials, a media kit, and a bio, among other things, but if you can’t afford a decent website, better a blog than nothing.

Using a free blog hosting service like BLOGGER is okay, (it’s industry standard), but don’t use a free website where the host name intrudes on your domain name. (ie., JaneWriter@freewebs.com) You want your name (or pen name if you’re using one) to stand alone. After all, it’s your name as a writer that you want to impress people with, not your choice of web server. So make sure you can get the domain of “JaneWriter.com” and nothing else. My website, for instance, is LinoreRoseBurkard.com. Period.

For your blog, it’s a good idea to use your name as well, particularly if you don’t also have a website. Your goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to find you on the web—if an editor or agent likes your submission, I can almost guarantee the next thing they’ll do is put your name in a search engine like Google’s and see what comes up. They want to know about you, the person they may be interested in publishing or agenting. If they have to jump through hoops to find anything on you—or worse, come up with nothing at all–that says you haven’t established a healthy web presence.

2. Get a professional headshot of yourself.

A professional photo is an utter necessity for a writer who wants to be viewed as a professional. You’ll need this photo for your website, blogs, social networking sites, and just about anywhere you can set up a profile page on the web; not to mention your publisher will need it for promotional purposes, the back cover of your book, and perhaps their own website. This is not the time to pull out your favorite family vacation picture, no matter how good you think it makes you look! Unless it is a close-up of your head (face) and is very good quality, chances are it will broadcast to the world that you aren’t a professional—the very thing you want to avoid! So, even if you go to your local Wal-mart for the photo, get it done.

2. Use Email as a Tool

Another component of a professional writer’s arsenal is a dependable email account that reinforces their image. Don’t use Juno or other free servers unless they are very dependable and won’t suddenly cause your inbox to vanish, for instance, if you go over their quota.

Instead, your email address should reflect your professionalism. Don’t use a cute email addy to try and get a smile. If you want your name to be known, your email is another chance to get it out there—every time you hit the send button! My email for all business is Linore@LinoreRoseBurkard.com (through my website server). This tells recipients not only my name, but my website address. Every email can also be a free advertising opportunity because you will craft a signature tag to function as one. My signature tag includes my full name, website URL, Blog URLS, and can also feature my book’s title, a phone number, or anything I decide to put in it. You can do this, too.

3. Start Growing A List

Whether you use a website or blog, you need to set up an “email capture system.” Don’t worry—they’re fairly easy to come by. This is the little box where people who visit your site can enter their email and sign up for your updates or newsletter. (Yes, you may have to start a simple newsletter!) Having a group of readers who like what you write, and sign up to get more of it is a big plus to publishers or agents. It means you’ve already got a start on that all-important aspect of marketing—finding your audience.

4. Write Articles and Book Reviews

When you write an article and distribute it to article banks (this is free to do), you will include a brief bio—carefully crafted to include your website or blog URL and an offer to sign up for something free—which is equivalent to leaving your “calling card” wherever these articles are posted. Ezine editors and bloggers are always looking for free content and turn to article banks for fodder. When your article is used by them, you reach a whole new audience you would never have gotten your name in front of otherwise. Your articles then, are free promotion. Write them well (anything you post on the web should reflect your professionalism and may be read by an agent or editor) and you will gain readers and add to your email list.

The same goes for book reviews. If you have the time, read other books in your genre and then post a review on Amazon, ChristianBook.com, and other popular review sites. You don’t get a bio box when you do this, so use the “ID” as a place to advertise who and what you are. For my Amazon reviews, for instance, I use “Linore Burkard, Inspirational Romance Author.”
People can click on it and find out more about me and my books if they want to.

5. Join! Comment! Participate!

Every serious writer should join a good writers’ group. Online, I know of no better one than ACFW—The American Christian Fiction Writers. You’ll find critique partners, candid advice from seasoned authors, and can ask questions to your heart’s content. In addition, you’ll be making all important contacts. As you get to know others, guess what? They are getting to know you! Your signature tag will help them click through to your sites. Your email list will grow. When they like you they may want to buy your book (once it’s published, of course.)
And in the meantime, you’ll be learning and growing in ways you just can’t do when you go it alone. Opportunites abound on these lists, from entering contests, joining other blogs, taking online courses, and forging friendships.

You should also join other social networking sites, and always, always, set up your profile page as the professional writer you are. Every time you leave your name and website URL on a social network, or anywhere on the web, for that matter, it’s like “stamping” that place with your presence. Remember the old “John Doe was here?” Today, you want to do more than that–when I leave a comment on a blog, or a remark on a network, I’m saying, “Linore the romance author was here.” And letting people know where to find me.

The Web has enormous power to help you get the word out about you and your writing. Use it for its full potential, and you’ll find yourself with a healthy platform to impress an editor or agent and stir interest in your work!

~*~*~*~*~

Purchase Link: COACH AND FOUR: ALLISANDRA’S TALE

Excerpt:

“We’ll make it a trade, then,” Lord Dorchester said. “A kiss for a man’s life; ’tis more than fair.” She seemed unconvinced.

“An’ what could be troublin’ you about a kiss, eh? You surely don’t believe it will mar your mighty virtue.” There was a hint of resentment in his words, and she eyed him curiously. “Does a kiss mar the virtue of a good woman? I put the question to you,” he said, in his light but compelling tone. When she was silent, he added, “Can you really think it so?”

“Yes!” She had to defend her stance. “Yes if—if–”

“No! It does not, it cannot.” Suddenly there was a great deal more feeling in his voice. “And therefore I give it to you, that you are bound by duty and honour to fulfill my simple request, as I give you a man’s life in return!”

She looked at him doubtfully, and made no move to comply.

“Indeed.” He went to the door and opened it enough to shout, “Kill the earl!”

“Wait! No! I beg you!” She was shocked, thinking he had only been in jest. When he looked back at her expectantly, she added, “I will …comply…with your request.”

He cried, out the door, “Change that! Don’t kill anyone!” He came and sat beside her once again. “Is it a trade, then?”

She eyed him narrowly. “Do you like to kiss so well that you must hazard a man’s life to do it?”

“No, luv;” He gave her a lopsided, boyish smile. “I hazard a man’s life so you will do it. Now, if you please,” and he again patted his lap.

But holding this Bible, I feel connected to my past. I wish I had known my grandfather. I don’t even have a picture of him. He held this Bible though, and probably read from it in church. The church might have been one room with wooden pews, much like the one depicted in Little House on the Prairie. So today I wanted to read from this Red Letter, Self-Pronouncing Edition for my daily devotion. The verses are Luke 12:22-32. In my grandfather’s Bible this is from the book of St. Luke. I think the words are beautiful.

And he said unto his disciples, “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Dear Heavenly Father, I give thanks today for all your many blessings. Thank you for this tattered Bible. Thank you for the names penned within by my ancestors. And thank you for the sacrifice of Your Beloved Son so that I might one day be abe to see my grandfather in my forever home. Amen.

Valentine’s Day is here. When I was a child, I anticipated getting those tiny heart-shaped valentines from my friends and as I grew older I cherished the heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. Valentine’s Day has become another big commercial holiday, enticing people to spend money. But money can’t buy love or romance.

When you are in a relationship with someone you love, each and every day is Valentine’s Day. Showing appreciation should become a part of each moment you are together. A small touch as you pass, a smile shared, a quiet time when no words are necessary…that’s romance.

The Valentine’s Day card or box of chocolate…a sweet gesture. But the things that really make romance are the little things that are part of each day you have together. Cherish them and give daily thanks for your blessings.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I cannot imagine a young child, a baby in my eyes, dealing with the pain and uncertainty of illness. As a mother and grandmother, my heart aches for Alexis and her family. After hanging up the phone, I cried. I closed my eyes, bowed my head and prayed.

Control issues? That’s me. I think it happens to all of us when we have children. We want to fix everything, make everything right. But we can’t do that. Only the Great Physician has that power.

Please join me in praying for healing for Alexis and for comfort for her family as they deal with job issues and emotions during this difficult time. The power of prayer is awesome. Our God is awesome.

Our God is still in the miracle business! Amen.

You have accepted a mission to share God’s love through writing. Discipline will help you achieve your writing goals. Dare to reach for your dream! Order the devil to leave as you have room only for God in your heart.

Let the Holy Spirit guide you. Believe. Have faith.

Remember that you can do all things through Christ. You are a beloved child of the King.

Love,
Me

Last year my hubby wasn’t able to get out by himself and purchase me a valentine. But he did something much better! He made me one. A simple piece of paper, a black marking pen, a hand drawn heart with our initials and a request to be his “valentine forever.” I’m so blessed to have a husband who is a romantic. Thirty-two years and still he melts my heart with his romantic gestures.

Free image from dreamstime.com

So what happened? Since December you’ve been on a self-destructive treadmill. You eat things you shouldn’t eat…and not in moderation. Do you see a pattern here? Isn’t this how you gained all that weight in the first place…weight that you lost just a few months ago! Admit it. You are a food addict. You love the taste of food, fat foods, cheese, chocolate. Guess what? You can eat those things and still lose weight!

Remember? Moderation, sticking to an eating plan that WORKS, and exercising. Yeah, another dirty word? You’ve got a treadmill. Remember how you loved to walk and write? Remember the sense of accomplishment? And you weren’t doing boring exercise where you watched the clock, sweated up a storm, and just wanted the agony to stop. No, you were on a healthy exercise program. And now you’ve been given a new gift. You have joined Curves through the Silver Sneakers program and it doesn’t cost anything except time. You love working on the circuit! You can do it. It feels good. If you have time to sit and write this letter to you, then you have time to hop in the car, drive fifteen minutes to get a workout, and you’ll be home an hour later. One measly hour out of your day.

You can do this. What you need to do is make a commitment to yourself. Remember your body is God’s temple. He gave it to you. He loves it, so should you. Treat his temple with respect.

Now get out a pen and open your calendar. Make a commitment to exercise, to count your food points, be conscious of every bite you put in your mouth, and remember…treadmill and laptop leads to success in two areas. Health and your writing career.

Your best friend,
Me

~~~~~~
Marathons, Manuscripts and Mothers

As 2012 gets off to a start, I’m sure most of you have made New Year’s Resolutions. Are you sticking to yours? If not, maybe this will jump-start your engine.

What do the three M’s…Marathons, Manuscripts and Mothers have in common? Well, as a former marathon runner, I’m convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the countless hours of running and training during my marathon days prepared me for the other two.

Marathon running is a solitary endeavor that requires 100% dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. You have to run when you don’t feel like it…when your legs ache and your heart feels like it will leap right out of your chest, when the weather is hot, humid, cold, rainy or just plain dismal. You run in the light, in the dark, and when a strong north wind tries to sweep you right off the path. You keep your focus, and stay true to the goal. There’s no turning back…only looking forward.

The same can be said of writing. It’s a mostly-solitary endeavor that requires 100% dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. After all, what reader would enjoy a book that has no ending…no plot, direction, or character arc? What publisher would pay for such a book? So you write even when you don’t feel like it…when your friends are going to the movies or out to dinner, when you’d rather read than plot, when warm rays of sunshine beckon from your office window and your heart longs to run and play. You write early in the morning when the rest of the world is sleeping and late at night when the rest of the world is sleeping. You write when the refrigerator beckons you to have just one more snack. And when writer’s block strikes you push through it instead of pushing away from the desk, no matter how painful.

Being a mother…well, sometimes it’s a solitary endeavor that requires 100% dedication, commitment, follow-through and sacrifice. Saying no to a child has never made any mother popular. You overlook your own needs to care for your child. You mother early in the morning, late at night, and every hour in between. You stay strong when the storms of terrible two’s and the teenage years rage, when you see your life flash before your eyes while teaching your teen to drive or your toddler throws a tantrum in the grocery store check-out line. Along the way, you enjoy and savor rays of sunshine that peak through the chaos. You mother when you’d rather take a warm bubble bath or curl up with a book instead of cooking dinner or playing the hundredth hand of Old Maid or Go Fish.

My life’s journey has been a blend of the three M’s. My daughter will enter college next August. We’re in a period of countless changes. The child I once drove to basketball practice and choir rehearsal now chauffeurs me. I have learned, depending on the day (sometimes even the hour), that I know nothing…and everything. Recently, a college friend of mine sent a photo that was snapped our sophomore year (1982). Looking at the photo, I thought my daughter was staring back at me. Was I ever that young, thin and…unwrinkled? My daughter took one glance and gasped, “Mama, is that really you?” as if I could have never—possibly—been that smiling young woman in the picture. And, after a good laugh, I thought about the passage of time and how happy and truly blessed I am to have experienced the three M’s…Marathons, Manuscripts and, especially Motherhood.

BLURB: When Caroline flees Chicago following the brutal murder of her husband, the last thing she expects–or wants–is to fall for Matt Carlson, a builder with strong roots in the small town of Mountainview, Tennessee. She needs to focus on raising her six-year-old daughter and protecting both their hearts from ever being shattered again. Matt is struggling with issues of his own…guilt over the death of his wife and the responsibility of raising a cynical teenaged nephew who is dropped on his doorstep, abandoned by Matt’s alcoholic sister. He doesn’t have time to fall in love, yet he can’t help being drawn to the woman who is ready to defend her home–and her daughter–with nothing more than a fiesty attitude and a broom handle. Can Matt’s help and friendship convince Caroline to trust again…and when Caroline’s daughter goes missing, will Matt be able to find the girl before it’s too late and he loses everything he loves…again?

The program is really good and hopefully will help him to be more active. The trick is going to be to keep him exercising at home when the program is finished. He did a metabolic measurement test prior to the program and they will test it again at the end of the program.

Exercise is very important for patients with COPD. The tendency many COPD sufferers have is to become sedentary. Muscles deteriorate and also heart and lungs because they are not getting any aerobic exercise. I’m very excited about the program and so thankful it is being offered.

It is so good to see him being active and feeling like he can do things again. Sure beats seeing him sitting in a recliner and watching television all day long!