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I’ve been reading a lot of self-help books of late. I’ve said it before, but the transition to full-time self-employment has been turbulent to say the least. So, when in doubt, I always turn to books. Knowledge is power, education is the only solution. I thought I’d share some of the best self-help books for writers out there in the hopes it helps you on your journey too.

In no particular order:

11 Self-Help Books for Writers

Girl, Stop Apologising by Rachel Hollis

Also by the same author in the series and actually the prequel, Girl, Wash Your Face.

To buy Girl, Stop Apologising, you can use these links:

Amazon UK and Amazon USA.

This particular book gave me a couple of revelations which you can read about here, but predominantly, one about focus and how I should treat my to-do list results list.

Part memoir, part actionable self-help book, it’s split in two: excuses you need to get rid of and behaviors you need to adopt.

You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero

You can get it from Amazon UK, Amazon USA

This for me was less about the actionable things I need to do and more that I finished the book feeling like I could do anything I damn well wanted. A proper powerhouse of motivation. Part philosophical fooey (which I happen to agree) it’s full of anecdotes and memories of a life you wish you could have led.

Jen Sincero is seriously badass, and now I feel like I am too.

The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

You can get it from Amazon UK and Amazon USA

I actually listened to this one on audiobook. One of the most powerful books I’ve read, this is probably my number one recommendation. There are tons of actionable steps you can take in this book. I kept a post-it note in my wallet which read

I will leave my job in 2020

I signed the note and kept it in my wallet for two years. I ended up leaving in 2019.

His book is full of stories of success, tips and a boatload of motivation. If you’re a writer, this is one self-help book for writers you should not miss out on.

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon USA.

I adore Elizabeth Gilbert. Every time she opens her mouth it’s like molten gold and flowing inspiration. Big Magic is a whole book of it. Her style sucks you in and grips you until the finish. I’m pretty sure I sank Big Magic in one or maybe two sittings.

Very much a book for writers and creatives. It’s largely about mindset and moving beyond fear, but it’s an all-round motivational read that reassures you you’re not alone in the highs and lows of creative life.

I highly recommend it.

Indie Author Mindset by Adam Croft

Purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon USA

I had the pleasure of reading this before it was published. This is a refreshing, short read for any author (trad or indie) looking to give their mindset a check.

Key takeaways are around how to view your writing as a business and the key things you need to do in order to set yourself up for business success.

This book pulls no punches, but it’s a fantastic guide and I highly recommend it.

The Successful Author Mindset by Joanna Penn

Purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon USA

Similar to the above book, this one is also for any author (trad or indie) looking to give their mindset a check. However, this one is focused much more on the mental highs and lows of writing and the journey we take to publication and beyond. A great one to read and then re-read as you continue in your career.

How to Be a Bawse by Lilly Singh

*Winner of the 2017 Goodreads Choice Awards: Non-Fiction Book of the Year!*

Purchase on Amazon UK or Amazon USA

Listen on Audible UK or Audible USA

This is another one I listened to on audiobook. Lilly is a YouTube sensation. But she’s also an inspiration. Young, ambitious, and super successful. She’s motivational and hilarious to boot. I actually recommend you listen to the audiobook. It’s narrated by Lilly herself and is so much the better for it. If you fancy a feel-good book and a giggle, go listen, NOW!

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Purchase on Amazon UK or Amazon USA

This one is a mind-blower. It’s pretty heavy going, lots of science and research and facts.

But I HIGHLY recommend it. It’s all about the concept of shallow ‘busy’ work versus doing deep effective work. It’s challenging, thought-provoking and a must-read for anyone with a goal.

The War on Art by Steven Pressfield

Purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon USA

I’ve read absolutely every non-fiction book Steven Pressfield’s ever written. I would recommend ANY of them. I particularly like Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t and Do The Work as well as.

He has a particular way of writing. You’ll love it or hate it. I’m the former. I find him inspirational, motivating and the provider of a jolly good kick up the backside!

Grit for Writers by Tamar Sloan

Purchase on Amazon UK or Amazon USA

A fantastic book for authors, all about keeping the right mindset, digging deep and pushing hard to meet all your writing dreams and goals.

If you’ve ever felt the slump, this is a short sharp reminder to pick yourself up and keep on keeping on.

The One Thing by Gary Keller

Purchase on Amazon UK or Amazon USA

Another fantastic book about focus. Gary’s point isn’t that you can’t do and achieve lots of things, just that you have to focus on one at a time. There’s science and research to back up his points. A fascinating read and one that’s sure to change your point of view.

Next up on my to-read list are the following recommended by some author pals.

• Do Less by Kate Northrup purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon USA
• Grit by Angela Duckworth purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon USA
• Daring Greatly by Brene Brown purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon USA
• Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon USA
• Be the Change by Marin McCue purchase on Amazon UK and Amazon USA

Please note because these are books I’ve read and loved, this post does contain affiliate links.

11 of The Best Self-Help Books for Writers #indieauthor #selfpublishing #IARTG #ASMRG #writingcommunity
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So that’s my reading list. What about yours? What self-help books for writers have you read or would you recommend? Let me know in the comments.

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If you enjoyed this post, you might like these:

How to Be a More Productive Writer, Entrepreneur & Business Owner

Author Earnings – How Do You Write Full-Time?

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PUT YOUR HANDS DOWN. Heathens.

Alright, I’ll let you off. I was skeptical about audiobooks at first too. I couldn’t bear to listen to fiction stories. I just couldn’t get a grip of the plot. When I read it feels tangible; it’s not just the pages I can grip, but the words too. It has substance, it’s alive. But listening to audio books made the words feel like grains of sand slipping through my fingers.

But then I reflected on the fact I listen (and love) podcasts. What was the difference? For me it was non-fiction. Maybe podcasts have trained me. But I absolutely love listening to non-fiction on audible. I’ve got a couple of book recommendations for you too. But I thought I’d share a discount Audible are doing for Black Friday. They’re giving away 50% off audible subscriptions for just £3.99 per month*. Just click the image below to find out more.

I’ve got two Audible recommendations to share with you today. I’m sure there will be dozens more in the future, but I’m still just getting to grips with the world of audio, so bear with me while I chomp through a few.

First up, The Success Principles by Jack Canfield

Here’s the book blurb:

“In The Success Principles, the cocreator of the phenomenal bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series, helps you get from where you are to where you want to be, teaching you how to increase your confidence, tackle daily challenges, live with passion and purpose, and realize all your ambitions. Filled with memorable and inspiring stories of CEO’s, world-class athletes, celebrities, and everyday people, it spells out the 64 timeless principles used by successful men and women throughout history—proven principles and strategies that can be adapted for your own life, whether you want to be the best salesperson in your company, become a leading architect, score top grades in school, lose weight, buy your dream home, make millions, or just get back in the job market.

Taken together and practiced every day, these principles will change your life beyond your wildest dreams.”

My god, this book gave me about a gazillion epiphanys. If you know me, you’ll know I like to joke that I’m dead on the inside. But the thing is, this book made me cry. ME. Miss dead on the inside all watery eyed and blinky over the success stories.

One of the other reasons I loved this audiobook so much is that it provided hundreds of practical tips and tactics you can easily put into place. Craft and advice books are swell when they’re all philosophical and thought-provoking, but come on guys, we need the good shit. That’s what this book delivers.

One of my favorite tips was the concept of ‘Pay Yourself First’. Doesn’t matter whether that’s in money or otherwise. What it made me realise is that I need to pay myself first with time. I hate Mondays because I have to get through 8 grueling hours before I can write. But says who? I started getting up at 5 to write so that I go to work having achieved the thing that’s most important to me. It’s had a radical impact on my mindset and my productivity.

Whether you listen to the audiobook or buy and read the actual book, this is one every author should read.

***

Thanks to BlondeWriteMore for this recommendation:

How To Be A Bawse by Lilly Singh 

I absolutely loved this audiobook. It was a no punches pulled guide to being a Bawse. Lilly details how to own your life and build success. She’s clear, there’s no shortcut, no panacea, it’s hard graft and sweat that got her to the top. But she also gives lots of tips and tricks.

“Lilly Singh isn’t just a superstar. She’s Superwoman—which is also the name of her wildly popular YouTube channel. Funny, smart, and insightful, the actress and comedian covers topics ranging from relationships to career choices to everyday annoyances. It’s no wonder she’s garnered more than a billion views. But Lilly didn’t get to the top by being lucky—she had to work for it. Hard.”

I won’t tell you everything, but two of my favorite tricks were:

1. Affirmation Passwords – when you next update your passwords, put an affirmation as your password. You type your passwords multiple times a day. What better way of practicing your affirmations than having them as your password.
2. Problem list – when you have a shitty day and loads of tiny little things build up, your lips are dry, your phone battery dies, you don’t have parking change. Write those problems down and systematically solve them. Sounds stupid, right? But how many people actively go out and try and solve their issues? Lilly bought a charger for her car, office, living room, bedroom and bathroom. She did the same for lip balms, and putting reminders in your phone to get a bag of change from the bank means you won’t forget.

I highly recommend this book. Lilly is hilarious and her book is a real feel good audiobook.

*For transparency, I will earn a small commission on the audible subscription, but hey, an authors got to eat!

If you want awesome writing tips, you can grab a copy of my book 13 Steps To Evil – How to Craft Superbad Villains. Click this link and tap the logo of your reading device or regular bookshop and it will take you to the right page. You can also get a FREE villains cheatsheet by joining my mailing list just click here.

You can also find me on  Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads

The post 2 Audiobooks every author needs to hear appeared first on Sacha Black.

Anyhoozle, of my 52 books, I wanted a quarter to be indie published, and a quarter to be non-fiction, because 1. supporting other authors, and 2. I’m a knowledge whore.

I’ve been surprised and delighted by looking back at my reading list, some of the stats have shocked me.

So, the stats, out of my 52 books (because I know what the final couple are):

• 26 (50%) were non-fiction
• 26 (50%) were fiction
• 27 (53%) were from self-published authors (of which a couple were author friends with publishing deals)
• 25 (48%) were traditionally published books
• 20 of the 26 fiction books were Young Adult (no surprises there!) Although the biggest shocker for me this year was that only 9 were fantasy, 11 were contemporary YA. I had a feeling I’d been leaning towards contemporary, but I was surprised to realise I’d read MORE contemporary than fantasy.

I’ve had a couple of characters that would fit a contemporary story flitting around my head, so I might start listening – obviously I’ve been bending towards it for a reason.

You can see the rest of the books I’ve read here.

So to my top 10 books of this year, and my top 10 books (plus predictions for next year).

BEST OF 2017

Fiction Books of 2017 (in no particular order)

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

Oath Breaker by Shelley Wilson

Orbiting Jupiter by G. D. Schmidt

A Semi Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland

The Watch and Wand by Allie Potts

Keepers by me (because obviously I’m going to include my own books! :p)

Non-Fiction Books of 2017

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Nobody Wants To Read Your Shit Anyway by Stephen Pressfield

13 Steps To Evil – How To Craft A Superbad Villain by me (because obvs)

And What of 2018? Predictions and Books to Watch Out For

Okay so I’ve got a couple of predictions for 2018

1. There’s been a TON of superhero books published by the big YA authors – Leigh Bardugo, Marie Lu, Marissa Meyer to name but a few. With Infinity Wars coming next year, I’ve no doubt that were going to see an explosion of superhero books.
2. In addition, I think there might be more pirate novels too
3. Alongside that, more graphic novels
4. Last, I think audio books will continue to rise in popularity
5. Oh, and one more, I think that there will be an increase in co-authored books

10 (that turned into 14) Young Adult Books To Watch Out for in 2018

The sequel to Keepers, by ME!

The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily. X. R. Pan

The Exact Opposite of Okay – Laura Steven

Cruel Prince – Holly Black

Time Bomb –Joelle Charbonneau

Everless – Sara Holland

Zenith – Sasha Alsber & Lindsay Cummings

Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi

Onyx and Ivory Mindee Arnett

Glitter – Aprillynne Pike

War Storm – Victoria Aveyard

A Court of Frost and Starlight – Sarah J. Maas

Obsidio – Aimee Kaufmann and Jay Kristoff

Legendary – Stephanie Garber

That’s it folks, my year in books, my predictions for 2018 and a few books to Keep an eye out for.

If you haven’t bagged your copy of Keepers yet, don’t forget it’s out in all good bookstores now, you can grab your copy here.

You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads

The post 10 Best Books of 2017 and 10 YA Books to Look Out For in 2018 appeared first on Sacha Black.

Allie is also a talented designer of covers, logos and, well, pretty much anything you need.

Today sees the launch of her long awaited sequel in her Project Gene Assist series: The Watch and Wand.

In order to celebrate, I asked Allie to indulge me in a spot of geekery about all things tech and the future.

Without further ado…

Welcome Allie

Sacha: In your book The Watch and Wand, you base the series on the concept that we will be able to integrate technology physically into ourselves. Do you think this is really possible and if yes, how long before we do it?

Allie: Personally, I believe that the robots have already taken over, as computers are already controlling stock markets, traffic lights, flight patterns, and even the order in which your customer support calls for help are received and humans are still here, so I am not particularly worried at the moment.

The problem is we humans are never satisfied with our robotic creations and being the egocentric short-sighted creatures we are, keep trying to make robotics more like ourselves complete with flaws, opinions, and limitations and that’s where the potential danger comes in.

My books, however, do not deal with an independent artificial intelligence, but instead with the concept of transhumanism in which people merge with technology.

Sacha: If we do integrate ourselves into a kind of hybrid AI – how do you think it will happen? microchips? Genetic manipulation?

MORE ABOUT ALLIE POTTS:

Allie Potts is the author of The Fair & Foul, Project Gene Assist Book One and is celebrating the launch of the second book in the series, The Watch & Wand. Set in a not too distant future, the series takes place at a time when science meets magic and biology merges with technology, and tackles what it means to be human.

Additionally, she is the author of An Uncertain Faith, a Rocky Row Novel, a cozy mystery/women’s literature story written for those who find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place.

When not finding ways to squeeze in 72 hours into a 24 day or chasing after children determined to turn her hair gray before its time, Allie enjoys stories of all kinds. Her favorites, whether they are novels, film, or simply shared aloud with friends, are usually accompanied with a glass of wine or cup of coffee in hand.

A self-professed science geek and book nerd, Allie writes everyday style stories, flash fiction, tips and tricks, and the occasional not-a-review review at www.alliepottswrites.com.

Book links include:

• The Watch & Wand – http://authl.it/B07791KJ2Z
• The Fair & Foul – http://authl.it/B01678T7CU
• An Uncertain Faith – http://authl.it/B00PYYB06A

Social Media Links

Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Google+

The post Watch and Wonders – Books, Tech and the Future with @alliepottswrite appeared first on Sacha Black.

November 17th heralds my first fiction release and I couldn’t be more excited.

As part of the launch, I decided to run a giveaway competition to win… 

1 of 2 signed paperbacks or

1 of 5 eBook copies

If you’d like to enter, all you have to do is sign up here. That’s it. Simple.

Competition closes 10th November at 12 pm. Winners will be notified at 7:30 pm BST on the 10th. Books will be shipped no later than 3 weeks after the 17th November (author copies take a while to arrive).

Here’s the book blurb:

Eden’s life is balanced…

…until her soul is bound to her enemy.

When her parents are murdered, the realm of Trutinor is threatened. Then a mysterious human arrives and changes everything.

As Eden’s world spirals out of control, she doesn’t need a charismatic Siren from her past returning to complicate life.

Now, saving Trutinor is the last thing on Eden’s mind.

Three boys.

Two murdered parents.

One deadly choice.

You can also add Keepers to your Goodreads list, here. 

The post #Win Signed Paperbacks – YA Fantasy appeared first on Sacha Black.

But today, all that changes because I am tentatively announcing a launch window of November 16-18th 2017. *Gulp, chews nail, sweats a lil’ bit*

There’s a significant amount of work to be done, not least of which is continuing to dictate the sequel book so its launch isn’t too far behind Keepers.

I have never been more excited to show you a cover. I feel like I’m Rafiki about to present Simba…

Ladies and gentleman I present to you the Keepers book cover.

***

Book Blurb:

Eden’s life was balanced…

…until her soul was bound to her enemy.

When a mistake kills her parents and threatens to erase her world forever, a mysterious human arrives and changes everything.

But as Eden’s life spirals dangerously close to destruction, a charismatic Siren from her past suddenly returns. Now, saving Trutinor is the last thing on Eden’s mind.

Three boys. 

Two murdered parents. 

One deadly choice. 

What would you do?

***

So what do you think? Let me know in the comments.

If you’d like to hear more about the release, you can join my fiction mailing list. PLEASE NOTE – THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS MY CURRENT MONTHLY MAILING LIST.

You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads

SaveSave

The post *COVER REVEAL* Keepers #1 in The Eden East Novels #MondayBlogs appeared first on Sacha Black.

I’ve been absent sometime now; I burnt out. Which I am sure, for anyone that knows me, is not a surprise. Am I back? Yes, and also no. But that’s for another blog post. Today I have something exciting to announce.

In typical Sacha fashion, despite burning out and sleeping A LOT, I continued getting 13 Steps To Evil – How To Craft A Superbad Villain ready for publication.

Well, guess what?

 It’s ready.

That’s right, FINALLY, after a 5-year long road, that’s been bumpier than the Himalayas, 2017 marks the year I release the first of hopefully many books.

 I can’t believe I am really going to say this, but:

13 Steps To Evil is coming to you on the 30^th May 2017.

 So, because I’m launching in just a couple weeks, I’d love your help with two things:

1. I’m looking for advance readers, who would be willing to leave an honest review on Amazon and or Goodreads.

2. The second thing is help with the launch. If you’re willing, I’d be grateful for help spreading the word on social media come launch month. I’ll be setting up a file with info/images/shareables that I can send to anyone willing to help.

What will you get for helping?

My undying gratitude obvs. And a big fat hug when we meet.

For everyone willing to review 13 Steps to Evil, of course, I’ll give you the eBook for free.

For everyone that joins my street team, I’ll be running a street team only competition to win a free signed paperback as well as a 1000 word (or first chapter) critique from me (open internationally).

If you’re willing to help let me know in the comments, drop me an email, or ping me on social media (links below)

***

Want to know a little more about 13 Steps To Evil?

13 Steps to Evil has been carefully designed to give writers like you, a detailed guide to creating the most kick ass villain you can.

Are you fed up of drowning in two-dimensional villains? Frustrated with creating clichés? And failing to get your reader to root for your villain?

In the book you’ll learn all kinds of awesome stuff like,

• How to develop a villain mindset
• The step-by-step guide to creating your villain from the ground up
• Why getting to the core of your villain’s personality is essential to make them credible and believable
• What evil pitfalls and clichés to avoid as well as the tropes your story needs

Finally, there’s a comprehensive writing guide to help you create Superbad villains. I’ve spent hundreds of hours researching and interviewing writers to make sure 13 Steps To Evil is tailored to your exact needs.

Whether you’re just starting out or a seasoned writer, this book will help power up your bad guy and give them that extra edge. It will also help you master the perfect balance of good and evil as well as strengthening your villain to give your story the tension and punch it needs.

You’ll get the same dark humour, you find in these blog posts and I use a ton of well-known examples to help explain the steps.

Want to write the best villain you can? 13 Steps To Evil is your book.

***

As part of the publication, I’ll also be launching a short villains companion course and a free checklist. If you’d like those sign up to my mailing list and I’ll give you all the info shortly.

You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest

The post 13 Steps To Evil Is Coming… ARC & Street Team Request appeared first on Sacha Black.

But the point is, I’m a big slutty slut slut when it comes to YA fantasy/dystopian. I gobble it up like a starving orphan. Why?

Because I love that shit. I love it so much I’d motorboat them books all night long and carry a caffeine drip to work because I stayed up so late reading (happens a LOT).

But, having read a lot of books in the same genre I can confidently say, they are ALL the same story. No really, they are. But its the familiarity that drags me back.

And it’s the familiarity that drags other readers back too. We actually want to be told the same story, over and over and over. It’s just that we want to be told it in a different way, so it doesn’t feel like the same story.

That’s where tropes come in. Tropes give your readers the familiarity they crave, which is why they are so important to you if you’re a genre writer.

I decided to read a lot of the YA best sellers out at the minute as I’d spent much of the summer reading non-fiction and I missed it. But also, because its important to stay in the know about what’s successful in your genre and also understand the popular tropes. I have a long list I’m trying to get through but I’ve included the books I’ve read in the last week in the post.

But what in the name of literary Einsteinius is a Trope?

Tropes are reoccurring themes, concepts and patterns usually found buried deep inside the juicy guts of a genre.

I see lots of people confuse clichés with tropes. They are not the same. Clichés are tired, cheesey, cringe worthy yawn fests. Like the witch who cackles and has a long crooked nose with a mole.

Cliché = Bad

Tropes = Good

Tropes can, and should be used time and again. And if they’re told in novel way, you’ll have readers gagging like little inkword addicts for more of your book.

ONE – Know what the tropes are

Here’s some examples of genre tropes (soz, they are predominantly from the genres I read.)

Young Adult Tropes

• Orphan protagonist or excessively distant parents
• Love triangles
• A graduating ceremony
• Lost of emotion and specifically around a first love

Fantasy

• The chosen one
• The one magical sword/potion/device that will save the world and is conveniently difficult to locate
• The mentor character that dies just before the hero is ready to spread his wings

YA Fantasy/Dystopian YA

• An excessively strict societal system punishments often death or imprisonment
• No touching/physical contact with opposite sex before marriage (usually some form of chosen/arranged marriage)
• Class divides
• A protagonist usually from lower class

Crime 

• A dead body discovered at the start of a novel
• A crime fighting detective dedicated to the job but a total maverick
• A murderer either arrested or killed at the end of the book
• Serial killers

TWO – Know How To Find The Tropes

Not that I’m trying to teach anyone to suck eggs, but it really is as simple as opening your book legs and being a big fat genre slut.

So how do you find out what the tropes are? Stick to a genre and read as many books as you can stand from it!

I promise on my bestest scouts honour that after a few books, reoccurring themes, concepts or patterns will appear.

Its like a gnawing, a sense of familiarity you can’t quite locate. An uncomfortable itch of knowing. A ‘wait a fucking minute’ moment. Yes, yes you have read this story before. SEVERAL TIMES people. Several freaking times.

THREE – Tropes and Clichés A Worked Example – Learn from the Pros

I read two books this week, after I’d decided the theme of this week’s post… And whaddyahknow, they were practically the same story, only one book I was a bit ‘meh’ over and the other I loved!

The books in question were The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard and The Selection by Kiera Cass

Now. I had to rack my brains on this badger, because the stories are obscenely similar.

The plots in my own words:

The Red Queen is based on a blood class system – Red blood you’re fucked and a commoner, Silver and you have magic powers and are effectively royalty. The Silver Prince has to choose a Queen from all the silver royal families. The protagonist spoiler alert – (a red i.e. pauper who has the powers of a silver) gets embroiled and ultimately becomes part of the silver royal family system and chosen to be the wife of the prince she doesn’t love. All the while, a revolution is ongoing the underdog reds are uprising and want their freedom from the oppressive silvers. The protagonist is called Mare (remember this delightful name). She doesn’t want the power or the crown.

The Selection is based on a numbered caste system, Ones are royalty, eights are lowers than slaves and have nothing and surprise, surprise there is also a rebel uprising, although it’s much less of a feature than in The Red Queen. The royal prince has to choose a queen from his people i.e. a woman from one of the lower castes. The protagonist is called America (aka Mer) (yes, yes they do have the same name!). 35 girls from different states go and compete in the selection for the hand of the prince, and of course Mer is one of them. She doesn’t want the power or the crown.

They are the same story, THE SAME STORY folks.

They both stick to the genre tropes – love interests, class systems, rebellions, dystopian themes. But The Red Queen nailed it. The Selection really didn’t.

I’ve been wracking my brains as to why that is, and I suspect its the tropes. While the Selection had them, I saw the end coming from about ohhh page 2. It was predictable, misogynistic and clichéd almost, a tired story I’d read a thousand times. Don’t get me wrong, I read it in two sittings, it was like addictively shit TV, you just can’t help sitting there watching just one more episode, even though you’re about to urinate over your popcorn and remote control you’ve been sat so long. AND I’ll read the rest in the series too, so it’s not all bad.

But The Red Queen had a new take on it. It was the same story but told differently. Aveyard took the tropes and shook that shit up with different twists, a protagonist that thought differently, spoke differently and acted differently.

Tropes and clichés are a dangerously fine line to tread. Do it wrong, sprinkle too much of that knowing story familiarity and you end up with The Selection, a clichéd story we heard a thousand times. Shake it up enough, and you end up with a story that makes genre lovers squeal in ecstasy.

What genre do you write? What are the tropes you know of and do you actively adhere to them or actively avoid them? Let me know in the comments below.

The post Please Your Readers – 3 Trope Tactics appeared first on Sacha Black.

As I draw nearer to handing my book to beta readers, the prospect of completing it, having to press publish and my labour of love subsequently disappearing into the utterly saturated Amazon rainforest of books, never to be seen again, is becoming frighteningly real.

In an attempt to prevent the only people buying my book being mumsy and wifeypoos, I read 3 marketing books last month:

Joanna Penn’s How to Market a Book

Nick Stephenson’s Supercharge Your Kindle Sales

And Tim Grahl’s Your First 1000 Copies 

The whole point of my blog is to share what I learn on this sanity testing journey to authordom and what did I learn? Well, I’m resolute on the fact finding your readers will always be the holy grail of authorlyness and because it’s the holy grail, not all of us will find it. BUT, I also learnt a whole heap of other neat tricks to help us along the way, as well as finding an answer to the 64 bergillion dollar question, should an author blog…?

I learnt a shit ton of stuff, so I’ve split this post into two.

So here are 9 ways to help you find your audience, this week I bring you way one to five.

WAY ONE – DEFINE YOUR AUDIENCE

There’s nothing like specificity when you’re trying to achieve something and defining your audience is THE number one rule, I actually learnt that from beta reading Bloggers Bash attendee Cynthia’s super helpful book: Write Your Marketing Strategy.

Before you try and con yourself with the ol’ ‘I don’t write in a genre’ adage, just remember what you’re trying to do… sell books. Not having a genre is fine, as long as you can define your audience, and don’t kid yourself, your audience, ain’t ‘everyone’. If you don’t know who your audience is and you’ve finished your book, shame yourself with a bout of rhythmic slapping until you rid yourself of bullshit and then start frantically researching other books like yours until you find the answer.

Once you have the answer, define them, and by that I mean ask yourself questions like:

• How old are your target audience?
• What hobbies or interests might they have?
• Are they employed?
• What social media do they use?
• What else might they read either in your genre or outside of it?

Even knowing the answer to some of these questions makes it easier for you to target your readers. Knowing the answers means you can both tailor your marketing to their needs and wants and target said marketing in the right places.

WAY TWO – THE MEANINGFUL LOVE FEST

The mantra the experts are touting (and they really are touting it, the phrase seems to have been coined in some kind of new wave brain washing literary love fest) is to make ‘real’ meaningful connections with people. Apparently, that stops the car salesman feeling when you drop the equivalent of a author C-bomb by emailing your subscribers and possibly, maybe, gently pointing out the fact your latest book is published.

Their ethos is – if you’re providing quality material, being super helpful and someone signed up to your list, then they do want to hear from you. So stop beating yourself up with greasy car salesmen, no body likes them, someone’s got to sell cars and frankly that fetish is just weird.

I’m not sure any of the books actually defined what meaningful connections were, but if I were to scratch my noggin I’d say it’s connecting with people in a way that provides them with something they want or need, thereby making them want to come back to you again. #WinWin. You get a reader and they get what they want.

WAY THREE – STRATERGASM YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

The point about defining your readers is you then know where to look for them.

I write YA fiction. Authors are told to use social media to connect with readers. Use it. USE IT ALL they said, but unless you’re a 16 legged 8 brained octopus with major skills in multitasking, then you can’t possibly use every social media platform effectively.

So don’t.

I’ve been using Facebook and Twitter to connect with people, but my school girl error is not recognising where YA’s hang out.

Twitter and Facebook are so last season, they make Yo-Yos, Nintendos and Pokemon look fashionable (wait one, Pokemon are fashionable again…), anyway you know what I mean.

If you wana get down wit’ da kids, it’s all about Instagram and Snapchat. So if I wanted to connect with YA readers I’d be better off focusing on those social media outlets than anywhere else.

Pinterests primary audience is women aged 25 to 34, but both the age categories either side of that one also have high usage of Pinterest. So if your target audience is women starting there is a good place.

If your target audience isn’t on Twitter then hammering the hashtags isn’t guna do shit for your sales numbers. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but one you need to if you’re serious about selling books.

What’s the takeaway here? Target, target, target.

Target like it’s your wanker-bosses soft spot and you’re going in for the kill and never waste time on crap that isn’t going to help you reach your goal.

WAY FOUR – FAN GIRL THE SHIT OUT OF YOURSELF

This one was from Tim Grahl. I highlighted the following quote in big neon yellow.

I’ve been told a number of times in life (#MostlyAtWork) that my passion and enthusiasm comes across as aggression. Frankly anyone that thinks that can take a running jump off the go-fuck-yourself-cliff. Too much?

Tim said this:

“Enthusiasm sells. Let it out.” Tim Grahl, p.124 of Your First 1000 Copies.

FUCK YEAH. I felt like doing a rocky punch in the air at the top of the steps.

Tim explains, and I’m using my own words here: we need to fangirl ourselves. Cause like, duh… If we’re not buzzing our tits off over our own books, why in the shiz would anyone else give a flying eff?

Why be enthusiastic?

Because enthusiasm is just as virulent as the self-doubt plague. It’s infectious and rubs off on others.

What does that mean? It means talking about your book. And I know. I know, *gently rubs calming oil into your writerly hands* talking about your book is scary and ‘sleazy salesman’ but you know, it’s not really. Not if your enthusiastic about it, and you believe it’s going to help someone or brighten their day.

WAY FIVE – ADVERTIZLING

Hate to say it, but reaching audiences for free these days is becoming rarer than Dodo spotting safaris.

Facebook has been dropping its conversion rates for years. Facebook page posts appear in hardly any feeds these days because they cottoned on to advertising.

The same can be said for Instagram and Pinterest. As much as it pains me, I’m fairly sure I’ll have to invest if I want to get any traction in book sales.

The one good way to advertise for free (at the moment) is through Facebook videos. Facebook are competing to be THE biggest platform for video delivery – in other words they are trying to take over YouTube. As a result, Facebook is allowing any video posted directly through Facebook to appear in a significantly higher portion of newsfeeds.

Thoughts? How do you find your readers? What cool tricks do you have up your sleeves? Let me know in the comments.

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The post 9 Ways to Help You Find Your Readers Part I appeared first on Sacha Black.