Your blurb is vital. Use it wisely.

Writing the blurb of your book is one of the most important tasks you’ll need to do pre-publication. Very often, it’s the blurb that sways our decision as to whether we give a book a second glance or not. And for independent publishers, this is something that we are typically responsible for, so we need to be absolutely certain that we get it right – or we could end up driving away valuable readers.

The task of writing a blurb is made somewhat harder by the fact that it’s not just writing a summary of your book. It’s about picking out key phrases and plot points that are appealing and will hook people in. It’s about deciding on the focus for the marketing of your book – you might have three or four major characters in your book all with their own subplots, for instance. Are you going to try and include all of them in the blurb, or would it have more impact if you just pick one or two to focus on? This can alter other aspects of how you promote the book, so it’s a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

And, once you think you know what you want to focus on in your blurb, the task can be made harder still by the fact that when you’ve just spent months writing a book, you’re often too close to the project to be really objective about it. Even though you know the book better than anyone and are likely to have very good ideas for the angle of your blurb, your ownership of the project can make it harder for you to put yourself in the shoes of a reader.

This is why it can be so useful to get someone else to read your blurb for you – preferably someone who is new to the project and hasn’t been involved with the editing process so far (although anyone who has helped with this can be useful too). See what they think coming to it fresh, and take their feedback on board. Would they want to read your book based on what you’ve put in the blurb?

Something else to consider is getting someone else to write the blurb for you from scratch. If you’re just starting out in independent publishing, the cost of things like this might not be an option for you, but even a friend who’s keen reader could help you. You can always polish up their sentences later, once you’ve got all the key elements straightened out. Sometimes, that fresh eye can make all the difference. Plus, if you are able to get a professional to help you, they should be able to write the blurb in a way that appeals to your target readership.

We might now be starting to move away from physical books to the world of e-books, but the blurb is still as important as ever, particularly for independent publishers who are trying to make their mark. Don’t leave it until the last minute and just hope for the best – give it some time and thought, and road test it before declaring it done.

What do you think? As a reader, what do you look for in a blurb? If you’re a writer, what strategies have worked for you? Let me know in the comments box below.

Could this become a familiar sight?

Every year, figures about library lending are released – and as we all know, for the past few years, there has been some concern about the decline of libraries. This concern is backed up by lending figures for the year up until 31^st March 2012, which were compiled by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. It was found that not only was less money being spent on books than the previous year, but fewer people were going to libraries, fewer people were taking out books and the number of web visits to libraries also fell.

However, one thing that wasn’t included in the findings was the statistics for library e-book lending. Lending e-books in libraries has of course been the subject of its own controversies from time to time, with issues such as a limited choice of e-books available to borrow cropping up. More recently however, Hampshire County Council has announced that loans of e-books have increased by 67% over the past year. This makes them the UK’s busiest online library service, with more than 5000 e-books and e-audios being checked out every month.

This rise has occurred even though the number of printed books lent out by Hampshire libraries has fallen in the past year, adding to other evidence that e-books really are starting to take over from physical books in some ways. Hampshire County Council also found that more people visited their libraries in the past year than the year before – showing just how important libraries still are, even when many of them have been facing cuts and some have closed altogether.

It’s pretty hard to deny just how vital libraries can be for communities and individuals, and so it’s always good to see growth in library lending in any form (children’s book lending has also been doing quite well). These figures also suggest that even though some libraries are struggling, there is still potential for them to do well – and embracing e-books in the way that so many consumers have could be one way forward for the library system.

One common answer to the question though, is that we write because we love it. The act of writing gets at something in us that makes us want to do it – and then keep on doing it. Watching a new world form on the page as you progress with your novel, or creating a whole new life the more you write about your characters, is a pretty powerful thing.

At its basest level, however, writing is a purely practical enterprise. It’s a means of recording things. We all do it, whether it’s with endless to do lists, reminders to ourselves or writing minutes in meetings. We’ve done it since 3000BC. In some way, everything ever written says ‘we were here.’

And that’s another common answer given by people who love to write – they want to leave something tangible behind. It’s also one of the reasons some people get into independent publishing; even if they’re not fussed about selling hundreds of thousands of books, they still like they idea of having something solid that they can hold in their hands, knowing that they created it.

I think one of the main reasons that the question of why we write is so hard to answer, though, is that ultimately, no one really knows. We can list a whole heap of reasons, both practical and emotional, but for writers, at the end of the day, it’s just something we do.

What do you reckon? Do you have specific reasons for writing or do you just accept the fact that you do it and get on with it?

1. Watch/read the news regularly. As well as being a great way to keep up on current affairs so you can show off at parties, the news is a goldmine when it comes to finding writing inspiration. You can find out about current trends and issues, as well as some of the quirkier happenings of the day.

2. Go to the pub, and not just to drink or get frustrated when you lose the quiz night. The pub’s a great place to find interesting characters and have interesting conversations that might seem inconsequential at the time but end up being really useful for your work. Plus the drinking and the quizzes are fun, too.

3. Go to the art gallery. I don’t know if it’s something about being in a creative space or looking at a different type of creativity, but art galleries can be good for inspiration. Ditto music.

4. Talk to children. Adults are good too of course, but children don’t hold back. If you get them going on a subject (age appropriate, naturally), they’ll tell you exactly what you think and very often look at things in a totally different way to you. This is great whether you need plot inspiration or help with characters.

5. Do some exercise. Scary, I know, but exercise can focus the brain, get the blood pumping and, without any other distractions around, will hopefully help you think up some ideas, too. Even if all you decide is that the character in your book hates exercise, it’ll be a worthwhile endeavour.

6. Go on a journey. Not one of those emotional journeys that people on reality shows always seem to go on, but an actual journey. Take a train ride, or go for a drive or a cycle. The change of scenery, the different people and the space to think about your work can be hugely liberating.

7. Challenge yourself to include the word ‘spork’ in your work, or another random word of your choice. Just because. You can edit it out afterwards if you want. The important thing is that it gets you thinking to begin with.

8. Listen to other people’s dreams. You know how other people’s dreams are boring? Push that to one side and become an avid listener every time someone wants to tell you their dream. You’ll probably have to sit through some right bores, but you never know when something might spark your imagination.

9. Talk to strangers. Not in a weird way, and not when they clearly don’t want to talk to you, obviously. Exchanging a few words with the sales assistant in the shoe shop or the lady you buy your paper from, however, can be a good way to find inspiration. Whether it’s an idea for how a particular character speaks or ideas for your wider plot, having a chat with strangers can be really useful. And you might make some new friends, which is always lovely.

10. Go on Write or Die. Set yourself a word goal and a time goal. Feel the fear. Write like crazy.

Don't regret what you should have done - write that novel

Plenty of people want to write but don’t for all sorts of reasons. They think they don’t have time, they worry they won’t be any good, they ‘feel the fear’ and decide it will be easier not to bother… If this sounds familiar then no matter what your personal reasons for putting off sitting down and cracking on with that novel, it’s worth pushing those reasons to one side and just having a go. To help get you in the novel-writing spirit, here are some of the best reasons to sit down and write that novel.

You’ll hate yourself if you don’t
One of the best reasons to push aside any doubts you may have about writing a book is that you’ll always regret it if you don’t. If you want to do it, just do it or else you’ll always wonder how that novel might have turned out. In that old (yet rather true) cliché, life’s too short to have regrets. Sit down and have a go.

You’ll never know how good you could be
This brings me onto the next point, which is that if you never have a go at writing that novel you’ve always wanted to write, you’ll never know how good a writer you could be. Admittedly, there’s an element of risk in this, but all writers – from newbies to seasoned professionals – secretly worry that the next thing they write won’t be any good. You won’t know unless you try, and you could turn out to be fantastic.

Even if you never show your novel to anyone except your partner/close trusted friend/close trusted cat, you’ll still have a novel. It’ll still be yours, and that’s more than most people have.

You’ll really enjoy it (hopefully!)
Another great reason to have a go at novel-writing is that it’s really fun. Sure, there are days when nothing seems to go right and every word you put on the page physically hurts, but most of the time it’s great. There’s something pretty awe-inspiring about being able to create something from scratch, and those days when you leave your work satisfied with the progress you’ve made make it all worth it.

Looking out of the window is work
If you’re not convinced about trying out life as a writer yet, think about this. When you’re writing a novel, looking out of the window is work. It’s valuable thinking time, don’t you know. Even if you’re not thinking about your book, your brain will still be ticking away, subconsciously helping you solve issues with your narrative. And a little bit of window-gazing is always fun, but it tends to be frowned upon by people who catch you doing it, so having an excuse for it is excellent.

You never know what might happen
Finally, here’s some food for thought. If you don’t sit down and write your novel, you’ll never know what might happen. You’ll never know if you could be a bestseller, and/or become a widely respected voice in your field. And it seems to me that that is something worth finding out.

Ol' Charlie knew how to write first lines

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

It’s one of the most famous opening lines in English fiction, and with good reason. The opening of Charles Dickens’ Hard Times is instantly interesting, offering contrast and intrigue that makes you want to read more.

That’s one of the most crucial tasks for a writer: to write a first line so good, it makes readers carry on reading. A soggy first line can easily send your book straight back to the shelf, no matter how good the rest of it is.

It’s long been acknowledged that the first line matters – but in the twenty first century, when e-readers are so popular, it’s not just the first line that needs to be outrageously good. The ability to see a preview of the first part of someone’s book for free with a Kindle means that the first section of your book takes on more importance than ever before (samples are usually around 10% of the total book, although this can vary).

Of course, in some ways, all of this goes without saying. If you want people to read your book, it needs to be good and that’s the way it’s always been. Nothing has changed in that respect. However, knowing that the first 10% or so of your book could make the difference between a sale and a reader walking away helps to focus the writer’s attention on the opening sequence of their book.

In short, just as your first sentence needs to make people want to keep reading, so does the end of the free Kindle preview. The book as a whole will always be the most important thing, but keeping this in mind when you write your books definitely can’t hurt.

Part of this is to do with building your brand as a writer, identifying your selling points and building them in to everything you do. This is something that can sound scary at first, especially for many writers who have always focused on the process of writing and have only just started to get into independent publishing and everything that goes with it. However, it is an important process – and it can also be a fun one, particularly when you think of branding as being to do with communication, rather than a scary PR concept.

For example, think about your blog. Most writers have one, and it’s a key part of your brand. Is it currently optimised as well as it could be? Are your posts targeted towards your writing goals? If you take a look at the previous posts on this blog, for instance, you’ll find that many of them are about issues such as independent publishing and e-reading, because those are the topics I’m interested in. Your own blog should ideally largely be about your own interests, whether that’s a particular aspect of the publishing industry or a topic that you like to write about in your books.

Social media is another important aspect of your brand, but before you take the plunge with things like this and your blog, it’s worth taking some time to plan and identify your goals. This is to help give you something to focus on and so you know what you’re working towards. As an example, one goal could be to independently publish your first book. Another could be to get 1,000 people to download it, and a subsequent goal could be to have an Amazon bestseller.

Breaking down your strategy can be enormously useful when developing your author brand, as it will help you work out what you should be doing – and what you actually want that brand to be. However, never forget that the most important part of your brand will always be what you write, so no matter how much energy you put into other aspects of your work, always make sure you still have time for your writing.

Writing is a business and it needs to be treated as such, especially when you are self-publishing, but it’s still creative, and it still needs you to sit and write a fantastic book. Once you’ve done that, with any luck the rest of it will all start to fall into place.

Family matters
The support of the people around you is invaluable as an independent publisher. The whole thing is really fun, but it’s also a lot of hard work, so having your friends and family on side is a great idea. They can be good for building morale or keeping you going – and it never hurts to give them a heads-up if you’re going to be busy with your book for a while.

Know the ins and outs
Whether you are just starting out in independent publishing or an expert at it, research is important. The industry is always evolving and so it pays to keep up. At the beginning, you’re likely to need to look into things such as how to format your book for publication and the different publishing platforms you can utilise. As time goes by, you might want to keep up with new developments or look for new ways to promote your book. Wherever you are in the process, there’s always more you can learn.

E-books versus physical books
New writers often dream of seeing their books on the shelves at bookshops – and while this can happen, don’t forget when you’re an independent publisher that e-books will be hugely important for you. They’re cheaper to produce than physical books, easier to distribute, and there’s a growing market for them.

Don’t hand in your notice too soon
If your book starts doing really well, you might be tempted to ditch the day job and become a full-time independent publisher. This is a great goal, but don’t be too hasty. Book sales can be fickle, and the stability of another source of income can be hugely reassuring. There might come a day when you’re able to quit work and focus solely on your writing, but don’t take the decision lightly.

Have a plan
Finally, make sure you have a plan. For example, after your first independently published book, what next? Is your book a one-off or are you going to write more? How are you going to build on your marketing after the initial launch of your book? Often it isn’t until a few books down the line that writers start to become successful, so some sort of game plan or strategy for next steps is definitely advisable.

Another interesting point to arise from the survey is that e-book piracy is a significant issue, with 31% of e-book readers admitting to downloading pirated copies. A significant minority of those people also confessed that they intend to download more pirated material over the coming year, which suggests this is something we need to continue to be vigilant about.

It would be interesting to have statistics on cases of piracy in the world of independent publishing compared with traditional publishing, to see whether there is a discrepancy there and whether the typically lower prices of independently published books means that this part of the industry has a lower rate of piracy.

However, the good news for self-publishers – who often rely heavily on e-books for sales – is that e-reading is an increasingly popular activity and more and more people are making the jump to e-readers.

How do you tend to read books these days – do you normally reach for your e-reader or for physical copies? Let me know in the comments box below.

It’s also another of those topics that mostly comes down to personal preference: just as some people are more prone to detailed planning than others, some people are more likely to do more research. However, it’s also a topic whose answer will depend significantly on the type of book you are writing.

If you are writing non-fiction, for instance, it’s highly likely you’ll need to do some research to back up whatever it is you’re writing about as your work is likely to depend more on facts than a work of fiction. Some types of fiction might also require more research than others – a historical novel, the success of which depends on the author’s knowledge and understand of the time period might require more research than a contemporary romance set in a place the author already knows well, for instance.

Also, if you’re writing about a plot where much of its credibility hangs on a certain topic – such as a murder mystery where the plot turns on a specific incident or process – that might also require research to make it believable. For instance, if your murder mystery is about a method of murder using drugs, you’ll probably need to research those drugs and their effect on the human body so you can make it plausible.

So as you can see, research can be hugely valuable. It helps to give your work credibility and lets readers know what you’re talking about – and, in a world where your readers can easily check your facts through a quick session on Google, it makes sense to ensure your work is accurate wherever possible.

However, I’d also argue that there’s such a thing as too much research. Just as you can end up getting bogged down in detail or making things more complicated for yourself than they need to be if you plan too extensively, there is a risk that if you do too much research, it will take over your work. Research can help you create a certain feel or give the impression of a certain time period in your book, but don’t forget that the main focus of your book should be the characters and the story itself. In a way, the research is there to back up what you’re doing, but particularly when you are writing fiction, it shouldn’t be the whole story.

This can be a tricky balancing act to get right, as it’s only natural for writers to want to write about what they’ve learnt and include research they find interesting in their story. Being able to step back and review your work critically to make sure you only include what’s absolutely necessary can be a hard process to learn, but being smart with your research can make all the difference to your book.

How do you go about researching your work? Do you like to do extensive research before you begin or do you prefer to just start writing and fill in the gaps later on?