Posted by Kathleen Pooler/@kathypooler with Sharon Lippincott/@ritergal
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining. Show me the glint of light on broken glass.” Anton Chekov
I am thrilled to interview author and writing coach Sharon Lippincott on how she turned blog posts into a marketable e-book and paperback. Sharon and I met in 2009 through The National Association of Memoir Writers(NAMW) and have been following each other ever since.
Her recently released e-book and paperback, The Heart and Craft of Writing Compelling Descriptions, is rapidly gaining international attention as an excellent resource for writers from many genres who want to take their writing to a deeper level. My reviews are on Amazon and Goodreads.
Welcome back, Sharon!
KP: Please tell us about your book, The Heart and Craft of Writing Compelling Descriptions.
SL: The book is a compilation of forty-eight blog posts relating to description writing. Collectively, they cover the gamut from using adjectives to pruning dead “would.” Several posts include tips for widening windows of awareness and using vocabulary you already have. These tips will add zest to your writing and life in general.
KP: Your The Heart and Craft of Lifewriting blog posts are always rich in descriptive details so I’m not surprised you have packaged them so effectively into a book.
What made you decide to tackle this ambitious and creative project?
SL: Three years ago I compiled a shorter anthology of posts about description and on a whim I thought I could pop that into a .99 Kindle book “in about three hours.” I immediately ran into snags. All my blog posts include images, and those proved to be a huge challenge in eBook format. The simple solution took weeks to discover.
Meanwhile I discovered two dozen additional posts and all forty-eight needed editing. Thank goodness for my awesome writing group buddies!. More writer friends kept my feet to the fire until the cover worked. With the additional posts, the book was long enough to justify a print version, and the rest is history.
KP: I know your knowledge and skill with the technical aspects of being an author have come about from your sheer determination and initiative to master the how-to’s. I have known you to be very generous with sharing what you have learned with others.
What tips on learning the technology would you share for those of us who may not have the same “technical fortitude” as you to take on a project such as this.
SL: I do love being a tour guide for segments of the writers’ journey!
Tip #1: Learn to use Styles in Word and you have the keys to the publishing kingdom. Once you get the drift, you’ll see how easy it is to begin with predefined styles while writing your draft. They are mandatory for uniform layout, and if you hire someone to do that for you, your groundwork will save the designer time and you money
.
YouTube has hundreds of tutorials to help you understand and use styles. Download your free copy of the Smashwords Style Guide from Smashwords.com. The process it describes works for both print and eBooks. Your time investing in learning to use styles will pay huge dividends.
Tip #2: Find a strong group of writing buddies and trade critiques. You’ll learn from each other, and your stories gain depth from additional perspective. Join a group online or form your own. Paid editors are great if you can afford them, but they are most valuable as icing on a cake leavened by group input.
KP: Can you briefly outline the steps you took to turn your blog posts into a marketable book?
SL: I did not follow a smooth path, but here is a list of things that must be done for any book, whether paper or pixels:
- Select posts or stories (write content for new book).
- Arrange anthology parts in logical order.
- Edit! and proof-read! everything. Many times. Get help with this, whether paid or from qualified writing buddies.
- Study published books for placement of copyright info, Table of Contents, etc.
- Finalize design details.
- Prepare cover.
- Prepare promo material.
Here the path diverges. Save a second copy of your file before proceeding. For print prep:
- Add blank pages as needed for proper layout.
- Insert headers, footers and page numbers according to design.
- Convert to PDF layout.
For eBook prep:
- Check with Kindle and ebook consolidators like Smashwords.com for latest instructions.
- Create new Table of Contents with hyperlinks instead of page numbers.
- Add bookmark for TOC.
- Save as HTML (filtered). This is optional, but recommended.
KP: Are there any tips you’d like to share on marketing your book?
SL: Start working on your book description when you start writing. Do NOT leave this for the last minute! Get lots of input.
Send out emails asking skilled reviewers if they are interested in receiving a review copy of your book. Do this a month or more before your planned launch date, and let them know when you want them to post (as soon as the page goes live). Ideally you want at least ten great reviews posted before you formally announce the book.
KP: Do you have any final thoughts you’d like to share?
SL: There has never been a better time to publish. You want your book to be awesome, but don’t invest more than you can comfortably afford to lose. The reader pool size is stable, and the number of books is skyrocketing. Give it your best shot, rejoice in a monumental achievement, and be happy with whatever results you achieve.
Thank you , Sharon for sharing so many helpful details about turning blog posts into a book. Your expertise is greatly appreciated and your enthusiasm is contagious!
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Author Bio:
Sharon Lippincott is an evangelist for lifestory writing and memoir and the author of four books including The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing. Her most recent, The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing Compelling Description helps writers transform blah stories into brilliant ones. She teaches memoir and other writing courses online and in Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh Osher programs and cohosts the Life Writers’ Forum YahooGroup. She is founder of WE WRITE! Creative Writing University in Pittsburgh and serves on the National Association of Memoir Writers advisory board.
She blogs at http://heartandcraft.blogspot.com
email: ritergal@gmail.com
Twitter @ritergal
Amazon: http://ow.ly/k1l2U
Sharon has agreed to give an e-book copy of The Heart and Craft of Writing Compelling Description, in the format of your choice, to a commenter whose name will be chosen at the end of the week in a random drawing.
How about you? Have you thought about turning your blog posts into a book? We’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below~
Announcements:
Congratulations to Lorenzo Martinez and Audrey Chin. Lorenzo is the winner of Singing to Silence by Pam Richards and Audrey is the winner of The Woman I’ve Become, an anthology compiled by Pat Lapointe.
Congratulations to Barbara McDowell Whitt. You are the winner of Mary Gottschalk’s memoir. Sailing Down the Moonbeam.
This Week:
I’ll be over at Sarah Freeman’s blog Write by Gracewith a guest post on “God’s Grace in My Life” starting on Tuesday, July 2.
Next Week:
“The Crooked Lake: A Memoir Moment” on Monday, July 8
“Do You Recognize Your Authentic Voice?” , a guest post by #journalchat host Dawn Herring on Thursday, July 11
WOW. I never knew about Styles, or how Word can create a Table of Contents automatically. Based on that alone I’m buying this book, but I know I’ll get so much more out of it. Thanks, Kathy and Sharon! (Of course, I’ll wait and see if I get lucky first!)
Lynne, Sharon’s book is a writer’s treasure trove as well as an enjoyable read. I know you will love it. Thanks for being the first one to jump in and comment!
Lynne, I hate to tell you this, but you won’t find instructions for using Styles or creating a TOC in this book on writing description. I mentioned that in response to Kathy’s question about how I created the book. Search YouTube. You’ll find hundreds or thousands of videos showing how to set up, edit and use Styles as well as making a TOC.
But hey, buy the book anyway. I’m hearing from veteran writers like you that the book is giving them new insights on description and writing in general. Things are at the point now where we carry on conversations among the writing community between the covers of books!
Sharon’s book is one of those I look forward to reading soon, and I’m delighted to say I’m slowly catching up on my long to-read list.
Thanks for stopping by, Belinda. Sharon has a way of teaching while entertaining. It is a fun, informative read! 🙂
Thanks for the kind words Belinda. I know all about those piles of To Be Read books! I have quite a few myself.
This was a wonderfully helpful interview–thank you Kathy and Sharon! I didn’t know about Styles, either, but will be checking it–and Sharon’s book–out! I have so much to learn, and posts like this help me a great deal.
Hi Tina, It’s nice to see you here. I’m happy you found Sharon’s post so helpful. You will love her book!
Wow, Tina, sounds like it’s time for a post on Styles! I do pay attention to comments and hearing the same thing from both Lynne and you is a powerful message! Thank you.
Great info! Thanks!
Thanks Sue!
Sharon, you motivated me to turn some of my blog posts into an e-book, and maybe even a print version I can take with me to workshops.
I don’t think I have the courage to earn In Design or formatting as I have enough to do already. I do admire you for your design and formatting skills and like Belinda, I look forward to reading your book, which I feel terrible about not having had the time to yet. Thanks Kathy for the interview.
Sonia, you do not have to learn InDesign. I don’t have the fortitude for that either. I have blogged about Joel Friedlander’s fabulous prebuilt templates for Word that are all set up so you just pop in your content. But they aren’t ideal for blog anthologies. Just learn Styles, and explore the Page SettUp menu, then pay attention to how mine is set up. Measure margins, etc. I left mine with double-space between paragraphs and ragged right margins to maintain the blog look. I would not do a “regular” book that way. You can do it. Grab that ring!
You’re welcome, Sonia. I feel the same way about flying on my own with all the technology. Sharon makes it sound simple but I know there’s a steep learning curve. Thanks for stopping by.
Thank you Kathy and Sharon for the great interview. So nice to see two of my favorite people together.
I like your tips – especially about Styles – Sharon. I always forget to use that and then I get stuck in my blog posts. Getting other writers to read and critique is also very important.
Congratulations on your new book, Sharon, and thanks for your useful and inspiring questions, Kathy.
Madeline, all the comments about Styles strike me as amusing, Collectively most women are keenly aware of style, not necessarily fashion, but personal style. We’ll spend days finding just the right outfit or pillow. But when it comes to the way our words look on the page, we throw up our hands and shriek with despair. We must fix this dire situation and claim our style on the page!
Thanks for joining in the conversation, Madeline. I’m happy you enjoyed the interview.
So much to learn. Thanks so much Sharon and Kathy for this great post. I know nothing about Styles but am about to learn about it. I look forward to reading your book, Sharon. I can use all the help I can get.
Hi Joan, I agree, Sharon offered so many useful tips for all of us. So glad you found it helpful. Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks to Kathy for asking the question that lays bare the screaming need for more info about Styles and Layout!
Sharon, you have opened up a whole new dimension for us and I’m thrilled we’ve given you some specific teaching ideas. I’d say you have a captive audience for all these how-to’s! Thank you so much for offering your technical experience and expertise so willingly. I had never heard of Styles before but there’s no doubt I’ll be checking it out.
Wonderful interview, and so timely! Thank you, Kathy and Sharon, for sharing so many helpful tips. As “techy” as most people believe me to be, I haven’t used Styles, and it sounds terribly interesting. I also appreciate how you’ve outlined this process for us!
Thanks, Debbie. I agree, Sharon has offered us so many helpful tips. We are all lifelong learners 🙂
Hi, Kathy and Sharon! What a team you make in offering an advice and info-filled interview. I had the pleasure of being one of Sharon’s readers, so I can attest to her book being a must have for all writers. And it has at the same time inspired me to look at the posts I wrote for the A to Z Blog Challenge this past April as a possible book. These tips will be so helpful as I begin that process.
Sharon, thanks for sharing your experience and tips. Kathy, thanks for hosting Sharon’s visit with you.
Sherrey, your words remind me of the VISA ads. Plastic can buy many things but glowing reader testimonials? PRICELESS!
Yes, of course that series would make a great book. Go for it, for sure — with STYLES.
Sherrey, Your A-Z Challenge posts will make a great e-book! I’m happy Sharon’s how-to’s will get you started. Sharon has certainly set the bar for all of us and has provided us with the road map to follow her lead. I love that we are all part of this dynamic team. 🙂