Donna Galanti - Where heart and hope meet adventure!

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Now Live: Free video training series for writers & first-time authors!

By Donna Galanti

For all of you awesome writers here (and friends and family of writers), today is the day that I have to share that the project I’ve been working on for so long is LIVE! My FREE 3-part video training series on building author platform.

If you’re a first-time author or are seeking publication with your first novel, sign up to check it out HERE: https://www.yourawesomeauthorlife.com/free-author-training/

Some of you may be on my sign up list already and I hope you’ve been enjoying the weekly guides I’ve sent out.

This system I’m sharing with you helped me build a following of thousands to include loyal readers, book bloggers, librarians, and authors plus get invites to teach at conferences, present at schools, attend fan conventions — and sell more books!

Doing this project was a H-U-G-E challenge for me in facing my fears over doing video and putting myself out there. So many of my writer friends over the years have encouraged me to create a course on this and so I met their challenge  .

Here’s what one new subscriber had to say about my free author platform series:
“I appreciate all of the information that you share so freely. I have really sunk my teeth into your articles and the links attached to them. I would have been lost (and potentially robbed) had I not found out about the right way to approach publishing. What you share is all tangible. It credits me as a serious writer but doesn’t go beyond what I can understand as a beginner. I have caught the entrepreneurial bug. I’m hungry for more info. Thanks Donna!”
–Patrick Kaufmann

I hope you enjoy it! Thanks for all your support and please share with any first-time authors you might know. 

#AuthorToolboxBlogHop: Resources RoundUp

By Donna Galanti

Today is all about resources for writers and authors! And it’s an info-packed post 🙂 . To continue hopping through other great blogs in the monthly #AuthorToolboxBlogHop.

First, I was super excited to be part of the Indie Author Fringe Festival recently. The event’s focus was on running an author business. Registration was free and you can still access all of the speaker presentations from this event and past events for free. My presentation was on 5 steps to build author platform before you publish.

Are you a debut author or writer looking to get published? Visit YourAwesomeAuthorLife to get an info-packed cheat sheet on how to connect with readers before your first book even comes out and read my blog tips for writers.

Below I’ve gathered a round up of advice from writing craft to book marketing and also listed my go-to books and online resources as well!

My writing office space.

Writing Techniques:

Mystery Mondays: A Year of Writing Advice (Writing Tips From Over 30 Contributing Authors) by Kristina Stanley

Getting Your Manuscript In Shape on Literary Rambles

10-part series with Jennifer Eaton on Getting Your Manuscript Past the Gatekeepers

Writing Scary for Kids with Kid Thrillers

Letting Go: In Writing, in Life

I hope you’ve made your own writing space too!

Top 5 things my editor taught me

Evolution of a Writing Process

Watchers: Heroes in Fiction

Top 6 things my editor taught me in writing a children’s book

Writing middle grade

Building suspense: meet readers in the middle

Cover yourself in your writing

Creating believable characters

On writing taboos in books

On writing memoir

Book Marketing:

4 proven steps to reach readers

Book Club Tips: Is your book book club-worthy?

10 ways to build your email subscriber list

Needing Inspiration:

How to keep writing

When you need inspiration to write and to read

When you just need some comic relief

For new writers

Write every day! Journal Writing: The A to Z Challenge

My Online Resources:

The Blood Red Pencil
Writing-Partner
Writers Helping Writers
Writer Unboxed
Fiction University
Publishers Marketplace
Agent Marie Lamba: Agent Mondays
A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing
Writer’s Digest Guide to Literary Agents
Literary Rambles: Spotlighting Children’s Book Authors, Agents, and Publishing
Rachelle Gardner’s blog: Literary Agent
Author Jody Hedlund blog
Author Nathan Bransford blog
Manuscript Wish List
Writer’s Digest Top 101 Best Websites for Writers 

My How-To On Writing Bookshelf:

Wired for Story by Lisa Cron
Story Genius by Lisa Cron
SNAP: Seizing Your Aha! Moments by Katherine Ramsland
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It by Twyla Tharp
Conflict & Suspense by James Scott Bell
Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell
Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook by Donald Maass
Fire in Fiction by Donald Maass
On Writing by Stephen King
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Essentials of English by Barron’s

Do you have any go-to writer resources? Share them here!

Author Toolbox: Find Best-Fit Book Reviewers (And Deal with Bad Ones!)

By Donna Galanti

It’s a funny thing once your book is published. People you don’t know are reading it and reviewing it. Some reviews will be good. Some will be conflicting. Some may be bad. As part of the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, Here’s my take on what you can do as authors in response to bad reviews and also how to find best fit reviewers.

But first, you can also check out my free cheat sheet on 4 proven steps to connect with those best-fit readers even before your first book comes out! For advice on reviews read on…

Conflicting Reviews

You may wonder how two people can find such differences in your book. Easy. It’s all subjective and your readers will vary. Just as your book is unique, so is everyone’s opinion of it based on their collective life experiences.

In the same week, a reviewer for my book noted “absolutely no grammar errors were noticed which proves that good editing is out there!” and another noted “Good plot, but a lot of typos.” Recommendation? Laugh over them and then ignore them.

Bad Review

Unfortunately, you may receive them. Are bad reviews all bad? Not necessarily. If people are talking about your book passionately, it’s more likely to reach some readers who’ll like it but would never have found it otherwise.

A bad mention can be better than no mention at all, particularly for those readers who are skeptical of too many glowing reviews. It can lend more credibility to the book.

The more reviews you get the more exposure your book gets on Amazon – good or bad reviews. As you get more reviews, Amazon ranks you higher in their search engine for keywords related to your book so more potential readers can find your book. As you can see, even bad reviews can then help boost your book’s discoverability. It also helps your book to be more balanced for reviewers.

A few rotten reviews are expected with every book, as a book is so subjective to each reader, and it gives your book more credibility. A book with all 5-stars seems a bit good to be true. Readers will weed through the reviews and can surmise the value of your book and if it will appeal to them.

Best reviews are the ones that are a mix of critical comments and positive as it means the reader was affected by your book enough that they took the time to leave a thoughtful review on many points.

What not to do about a bad review? Respond. All authors receive them. Even the New York Times bestselling authors. Why a bad review? The reader might not normally read your genre, or was misled by the cover. The writing style might not be one they normally connect with. Have you read a book and wondered how people could praise it? A bad review can even lead to self-awareness of your writing and improvement. And remember, they are reviewing the book – not the writer.

Finding Best Fit Reviewers

Can you increase your chances of finding positive reviewers? Yes! Research book review bloggers in your genre and age-range that you write in. Review their website and see what kind of books they have reviewed in the past. Check out their review request policies. See if your book falls within the guidelines of what they want to read and request a review.

Places to find book reviewers? Use Google Alerts. Type in key words like “romance stories” or “action novels” and then in what medium you want them to appear (as they appear in blogs, the news, etc.). Google will then send you a list every day of all the hits according to your search specifications. Click on the links recommended. If they include bloggers that do book reviews, send them a request for review. Also, search for “book blog” plus your genre to find reviewers. Try searching Facebook book groups. They can have corresponding blogs that offer book reviews.

Have Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs)? Use them to do a Goodreads giveaway. This can generate positive reviews as readers who enjoy your kind of book will enter to win a copy of your book. Always send a handwritten thank you note with the book and politely ask that they write an honest review.

Have an ARC in e-book format only? Many book bloggers accept them for review as well.

Final tip on finding best fit reviewers. Search for comparable and successful authors with keywords of “author name” plus “review”. You will find book bloggers that reviewed that author’s book. These are good blogs to familiarize yourself with and not only request a review, but ask to do a guest post and/or giveaway.

Best of luck with your reviews!

P.S. Don’t forget to grab my free cheat sheet on how to connect with those best-fit readers even before your first book comes out!

 

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