Posted on by Alexie Linn

Publisher Rocket Saves the Day

Sales and Promotion – Amazon KDP

What’s KDP? KDP is an acronym for Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s indie publishing platform. It’s easy to sign up and upload your indie books to KDP.

Amazon’s KDP is a huge market with a gargantuan membership to get your book(s) in front of!

Competition to get your book found is astronomical. But there are a couple of options to help close the gap and get your works discovered by interested readers.

It’s called promote and advertise. And it’s title specific.

Access the promote and advertise link through each of your published books that you want to promote in your KDP bookshelf.

When you click the promote and advertise link inside the promote and advertise section, it takes you to a page where you can choose to run a price promotion or an ad campaign.

While I do give away books to avid readers and reviewers, Amazon is not my chosen medium for giveaways. Amazon is the place I want to have them flash before reader’s eyes time after time after time. I skip the price promotion and choose the ‘ad campaign’. This is the method that puts your book in the ‘You might also like’ ribbon sections of a product the customer is perusing.

Where your book shows up in the ribbon is based on your bid for clicks. High bids per click come first. Lowest bids per click come in at the end. You pay by the click, not by the impression (aka flash). Get the picture?

What products your covers show up in the ribbon for is determined by keywords and/or other book ASIN’s that you can choose.

How do I choose which keywords or products?

I found a great little program that saves me hours and days of making lists from online research. Dave, the KDP Guru that I’m so glad I found, also offers several lessons – both free and paid – to show you how to be proficient at running an effective KDP ad campaign.

I love the program so much that I affiliated with Dave, the KDP Guru, to offer it to you right here in this post.

The program is called ‘Publisher Rocket’.

Publisher Rocket literally saved me hours and days of research, compiling, sorting and typing.

It’s easy to use… type a word; click, sort and download. Voila! A viable list of keywords and applicable book ASINs appear. You simply copy and paste to your KDP campaign. Pffft… it’s so easy-peasy. And you can  Get Publisher Rocket here.

Incidentally, I don’t run ad campaigns for all of my books. I run campaigns for one book from each series and trade them out for different covers after a time. This gives me a better handle on what gets buyers attention and saves me oodles of time and money.

When I started promoting with ad campaigns, my books got found and bought on Amazon.

Before Publisher Rocket and KDP Ad Campaigns, grabbing reader’s attention was like pulling hen’s teeth .

I’m still not a millionaire, but I’m closer to becoming one.

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Oops! Another ‘One More Thing’… Click here to join our Audible Lovers Cornucopia group. It’s free and where you’ll find links to Free Audibles for your listening and reviewing pleasure.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Audiobooks the Talk

Sales and Promotion – Audiobooks

The wind has laid. The clouds have cleared. It’s 37 degrees precisely. The weather is as near perfect as it can be in February, 2022 at the third winding down of this pandemic that won’t die. I may even consider going into a store today without looking like a bandit. Consider being the key word.

alexielinnauthor.com
Now available in Audible

On top of that, ‘Scarecrow Gets Three Wishes’ is now published. ‘Azalia’s Bizarre Dilemma’ is being narrated by voice genius, Reanna Harrison. ‘Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid’, a Vella Serial, is uploaded and running… But I feel heavy-hearted. Why?

‘Duh’, I say to myself with a dusting slap up-side the head, ‘now you have to promote and sell.’

 I hate selling myself and my works! But it’s a necessary evil that I’m ever-so-slowly getting better at…

One way I promote story visibility and sales is to turn each book into an audiobook.

There are a few options to get that job done. I use ACX Audible. Here’s why:

ACX Audible offers more than one method to pay talented storytellers that turn action words into dynamic 3D action with their voices.

There are plusses and minuses to each service. Check them out for yourself with a Google search for ‘audiobook services’ and go with what works for you.

Whichever service you choose, know that it takes a couple of months and a tad of work to take a book from print to a finished audiobook. Once the audiobook is finished and available for sale, promoting and getting it found begins.

Oh joy.

Audiobook Promo Codes lighten the load. Knowing how to use them lightens it even more.

ACX Audible assigns authors promo codes for free review copies of the story. The codes are very effective. But only if you get them out there in the world and redeemed by readers.

Here’s what I’ve found to be the simplest and most productive distribution method.

I’m currently a member of two Facebook groups (Cozy Mystery Audiobook Lovers and the brand-new Audible Lovers Cornucopia) that gives authors, narrators, and listeners a place to post and redeem the free promo codes. The Cornucopia is open to all genres and audiobook services.

Readers, writers, and listeners deserve the opportunity to get in on your best work. Offer it in any form available to you.

And, unless you’re a celebrity, include audiobooks in your sales toolbox.

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Oops! Another ‘One More Thing’… Click here to join our Audible Lovers Cornucopia group. It’s free and where you’ll find links to Free Audibles for your posting, listening and reviewing pleasure.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Serials Are Not Cereals

The Serial – That’s Serial, Not Cereal

Serials have been making a snail’s pace comeback. What’s a Serial?

A Serial is like a TV soap opera that you read. But it can move faster and have an end before the next millennium.

alexielinnauthor
A Serial to read with your Cereal

Serials are touted as entertainment on the run because you buy and read one episode at a time.

Vella serials are particularly suited to read on a smartphone and accessed through an App. Vellas cannot be downloaded to an E-reader like Kindle.

Episodes are purchased with tokens or ‘coins’, depending on the App.

Serials can, at the author’s discretion, become available in ebook and print version 30-days down the road. If you fell in love with a Serial, watch the author’s website and blog; follow the author wherever you can; or, better yet, tell the author you’d like to own it in book form. They’ll love you for it. 😊

Three reasons to indie publish a Serial are:

  1. Test Run – Get the feedback of whether readers are interested in your book’s topic before you compile, edit, and publish 100,000 + or – words.
  2. Build an audience – Perspective readers can ‘try before they buy’ your prose in more expensive and committed formats.
  3. Editing – Vella is my experience. It’s easy-peasy to edit one tiny episode of a Serial; while editing one chapter of a book entails several more steps and rereads of the entire project. The tradeoff is that Serials are uploaded one episode at a time.

Three reasons to read Serials:

  1. Give the author a test run. Do you and their prose click?
  2. Read an episode while you’re eating your cereal – or waiting for the bus – or stuck in traffic.
  3. Read it on your smartphone. No other devices or a book to carry around with you.

Three places to upload your Serial to…

  1. KDP/Vella –an Amazon company. Here’s where to find my latest Serial, Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid.
  2. Byliner Serials – A Barnes and Noble offering.
  3. Jukepop Serials – An indie publisher.

A Google search will give you 337,000,000 more details and options to choose from.

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

But if you’d like to own this story in book form, send me an email here!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Plots Rule

Plots Rule!

A story, fact or fiction, is mush without action at every corner. But too much action only makes thicker glop.

Too much action is so much thick Glop…

Whether I’m writing a How-to or a tale, it’s characters and their antics (the plot) that make the read get read.

Say you’re writing a family history. Even Uncle George, twice removed, has a personality. He had an occupation. He had physical and emotional dimension. Turn Uncle George into a character and let him write his own story. But be careful. You’re not remaking Uncle George in your own image. Help him be himself. Here’s how:

  • If he’s short for his age, let him figure out how to reach the paint can on the top shelf; but include the words that identify your imagination at work. Such as:
    • I, being short, can see him sticking a stack of books on a chair to reach the paint can some impish tall person stuck on the top shelf.
    • Short people, especially men, are taunted for their minimal stature. Uncle George was probably teased all his life about being height compromised. His brother, Uncle Jim, could have intentionally placed tools on the top shelf just to make him mad.
    • At 5’4”, Uncle George could fit into tiny places where others could not go.
  • If he was sickly, imagine the frustration he must have lived daily when he couldn’t run out and play with others.
  • If Uncle George was an ornery sort; was married several times; or was never married, use your best guesses as to why he was the way he was. But label it as your best guess. A could be. Unless you want to destroy your credibility, never state fiction – your imagination at work – as fact. Be clear, but make it fun.

Use scenery if it forwards the story. Dense forest, albeit beautiful, is boring unless it slams at least one character with a wall so thick he/she/ or they cannot escape through. Or if a character can use it for cover from their antagonist. OR if the heady, soothing aroma of the pine forest tells the blind person where they are… Get the picture?

Detail the weather if it requires the characters to slog through or hide from. A monsoon storm is just a noisy, dusty, wet storm – until it maroons my children and I with no way out and darkness racing in on us.

Lucky for us, there are several books available to goose the writer’s imagination to build plot. They don’t write the book for you, but they smash through the block when it’s time for action.

Start with search engines for plot generators.

But search engines aren’t your only option.

For those of us who don’t always have Google and other search engines at their fingertips, here’s where you can grab books – even a deck of cards (an affiliate link)– to bust through writer’s block and get more meat into your story. Snag the book or cards now, before you head out to your mountain top retreat with no internet.

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid

Great News! Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid is available in E-book, Print (large print and fine print) and in Audible!

Read it Now at Amazon
Read it Now, Direct from the author
Read it Now at your other favorite retailer
And now… Click HERE to GRAB it on Google Play Books!
sally the loner meets the sourdough kid cover

Description

Sally loves being the boss of everything. She also loves living alone. But now, stuck and in excruciating pain with every effort to move, she asked herself, ‘What is it that goes before a fall? Oh, yeah, PRIDE!’

So, what happens when this spunky, resourceful 87-year-old woman gets sent to an Alzheimer’s care center instead of rehab for her broken hip?

Enter 12-year-old Bobby, who’s losing his own sourdough queen granny to Alzheimer’s. Bobby and Sally are both stuck in a nursing home for Alzheimer’s patients. The two click like peanut butter and jam.

How this Story Came to be…

Sally, the Loner has been itching to be discovered through the last few books I’ve written. But there was never a place for her because she’s a loner, like so many of us.

Then the day came that cousin Margaret fell, broke her hip, had surgery, got moved to a rehab and lost track of. Nobody knew what rehab she was moved to. And Sally was off and running, writing her own story in the way that characters do.

Buy it Now at Amazon
Buy it Now at your other favorite retailer
Or Buy your eBook Now Direct from the author!

It’s a fun and interesting read… Keep reading for important reader info…

P.S. The easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Oh! And another ‘One More Thing’…

I forgot I have a You Tube Channel. It even contains a smattering of videos… including The Video Trailer for Sally the Loner Meets the Sourdough Kid. Check it out here.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Writer, Meet Your Publisher

Writer, Meet Your Publisher

You can write reams and reams of manuscripts, articles, and papers, but if you don’t publish, turn them into books, you’ve, essentially, written a mountain-size journal. So, how will you share your work with the world? Who is your publisher?

Is this your publisher?

Will you:

  • Self-publish – aka become an Indie Author?
  • Pay a Vanity, Hybrid or Subsidy publisher?
  • Or Mainstream (Commercially) publish?

Here’s what I’ve learned about each of the options:

Self-publish

To self-publish – or Indie Author – is to

  • Write the story
  • Edit – or cause to have edited
  • Format – for ebook and/or print, including the cover
  • Upload – the formatted file to Indie Author services like Amazon Kindle, Draft 2 Digital, Smashwords…
  • Promote – Start a website, advertise, post to social media sites, set-up at street fairs and bookstores… travel the world and solve murders if you want…

You manage the whole tomato, from planting to packaging to harvesting, including hiring expert help when necessary. You are in total control of each aspect. And you decide your time and money budget for each step. You know exactly who to blame if your book isn’t getting found.

Vanity, Hybrid, or Subsidy Publishing

In the old days, before the internet and print on demand, authors who hired a vanity publisher were stigmatized because mainstream publishers had rejected their manuscript. They were also swindled — a bunch.

My how times have changed!

Vanity, aka hybrid or subsidy publishers, carry much of the load. But buyer beware… there’s a boatload of scammers out there, itching to pocket your publishing rights and cash.

If you should decide to enter this dodgy world of shops, your job is to:

  • Write the story
  • Make suggested corrections to the story
  • Promote and sell; promote and sell; promote and sell…
  • Pay the publisher for editing, formatting and printing. Sometimes buy lots of books.

Tiffany Hawks has written a very fine article that details what to look for – and look out for — in a hybrid publisher. It’s worth the read. And, according to Ms Hawks, yes, Virginia, there really are reputable hybrid publishers on hand.

Mainstream or Commercial Publishers

The bane of an up-and-coming writer… the publishing houses that pay you thousands of dollars upfront and forevermore to write, edit, and galley-proof your book. If Jessica Fletcher is a truthful facsimile, book signings are the only promoting and selling a writer has to do while they socialize, world travel, and solve murders. Don’t count on it. I’ve seen James Patterson on a few TV commercials for his latest books these days.

But I digress.

If you’ve ever perused a Writer’s Market, you’ve seen there are upwards of 1,882 publishers just in the United States. But to get one’s attention and a book contract (and a check) in your hot little hand requires:

  • Queries before stories
  • Usually, but not always, a literary agent
  • Supreme insight as to what subjects and genres they’re looking for
  • The patience of Job

It’s not their fault. Publishers have to make a living and cover the overhead, too. They have their own crap-shoot to deal with.

Remember this. Rejections are not a black mark on you! But rather, your current submission is not what is on their list of current needs. It’s that simple.

While I’ve sold to mainstream publishers, I’ve found that being an Indie Author is much less on-the-edge-of-my-seat work for a bigger payoff. And I get to be boss. But, by all means, give it a shot! Maybe you’ll hit 7 or 11 the first time out.

And that ends your introduction to publishing. There’s more to come on this subject. But this is a blog, not a book…yet.

Happy Publishing,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Genre — Huh?

Genre – What’s Yours?

There’s genre, and there’s categories. They’re the same but completely different.

Category is who it is written for. Who is the person enjoying your story? Is it an adult or a juvenile? A man or a woman? Is it a child or young adult?

Who is the person reading your book?

Genre is the form, subject matter, or style that it is written in.

Such as:

  • Fiction
    • Action
    • Adventure
    • Mystery
  • Nonfiction
    • How-to
    • History
    • Biography

Then there are subgenres. Two subgenres would be ‘Cozy’ or ‘Erotica’. Both are important for the prospective reader to know before they dole out their hard-earned cash for the story. It goes to the value of the entertainment and your reputation.

A Cozy Mystery is generally light, usually includes a recipe or three, and could be a ‘G’ to ‘PG-14’ rating. They are quick reads that don’t like to be put on hold, but great for a distraction in one’s chaotic life.

Erotica, on the other hand, is rated ‘R’ and into the ‘X’s’.

A reader who is expecting ‘Cozy’ and winds up with ‘Erotica’ probably won’t buy another of your bestsellers.

The same goes for one who is anticipating ‘Erotica’ and finds they have to solve a murder or taste a cake.

I argue the genre issue with each new book I write. Here’s why:

The Joan Freed Life-Changing Mystery/Adventure series is – to me – a cozy mystery and adventure. Heavy on the adventure.

I choose Cozy because there’s no vulgar language or explicit sexual scenes. But there have been readers who questioned my Cozy classification. I can only guess at the reason for the question… namely, not every book contains recipes.

The good news is that I get to choose. I say Cozy because my books are just good clean fun mystery and adventure – with a few life-coaching twists thrown in for good measure. You are welcome to share your thoughts on the subject – in a Cozy manner, please. 😊

My aim is satisfied, repeat readers. Get as close as you can to the genre you choose, but be willing to change if you find out you’re in the wrong pew.  I am.

Happy Genre Choosing,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find me, follow me, and get deals on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

It’s Your Name – Choose It Wisely

It’s Your Name – Choose It Wisely

What’s in a name? Does your author name matter? Should you write under your given name? Should you borrow someone else’s name?

What’s in a name?

Taking these questions one-by-one, here’s my experience for you to consider.

What’s in an author name?

Reputation. What will be the first thought prospective readers will have when they see your author name?

If you saw a book written by ‘Charles Manson’, would you examine it, bury it, or grab it and race to the checkout? What would you expect that book to be about? Is that the kind of book you are itching to write? Would you feel cheated if you paid money for a book to find out that ‘Charles Manson’ was a pseudonym – not the real deal?

Aside from the obvious mislead to direct readers to your book, using the name of a famous – or infamous – person could ruin you in too many ways to list. Quash that shortcut to fame you won’t want in the long run.

If you’re going to write using a pen name, do your homework. Is it already being used? Is it trademarked? Will you be stepping on someone else’s toes? How many dollars and how much time do you want to spend on promoting the ‘other’ author’s works?

Does your author name matter?

It does, in my opinion. I have written under four pen names. At first, I thought I had to use my real name. Then I asked myself why when I’m not particularly fond of my ‘real’ name. I don’t hate it, it’s just a ‘blah’ name. It’s hard to spell. And I get growly when I have to repeat how to spell it.

Give me simplicity in pronouncing and spelling. I chose ‘Alexie Linn’ because it’s easy to say. It roles off the tongue. And it’s an anagram of my given name. I, the person am hiding in there somewhere.

If I took on the chore of rebranding my works, I’d choose ‘Aaralyn Rae’ for my new name.

“Why?” you ask. Because Aaralyn means ‘beautiful melody, a song’; Rae means ‘grace, timid, and bashful’. It defines me – or who I want to be. It’s okay that you, the reader, aren’t going to look up the meaning of my name. It comforts me and gives me the courage to keep on writing.

The name is suitable for any genre I care to write. If it isn’t, I’ll choose another name for the project.

Should you write under your given name?

You absolutely should if you don’t want anonymity… if you’re not timid or bashful. And your name is not John Jones. Not that the name is bad, but how many readers will you lose to the six hundred other John Joneses?

It’s your name, choose it wisely…

Choose a pen name that you will be proud of and want to use. If you change it, you’ll be starting over with building an entire new reputation and brand. A frustrating endeavor in my experience.

Happy Naming…

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title – or for all the Alexie Linn authored titles at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find me, follow me, and get deals on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer. Goodreads is always at the very best price. It’s FREE!

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Thicken the Plot by Stirring the Pot

Thicken the Plot by Stirring the Pot

Thicken the Plot by Stirring the Pot

The plot is what the story is about – in a one stewing pot.

For example:

The Corn Rots at Midnight is about a young woman who needs big money in a hurry. To get the big bucks, she took on the traditional man’s role of hauling corn; from plowing through 2-foot-deep mud in the field to dropping the load at the cannery. Maneuvering the monster truck and trailer through the muck and mire was easy compared to the mandatory survival skills to stifle the harassment from the male drivers. Can she succeed without breaking a nail, or worse — taking them out?

If you dissect the above ‘story-in-a-nutshell’, you’ll see that it answers all the 5-W’s of the simple plot of a story.

  1. Who
  2. What
  3. Where
  4. When
  5. Why

All that’s missing is the ‘How’.

‘How’ is the meat of the tale. That’s the part that the characters have to write. And you have to let them. You are the tool that stirs the pot to keep everything and everybody bubbling through to a lip-smacking, clean-plate end. Are you hungry for a fun and interesting read yet?

If the subliminal hint to go grab a book didn’t side-track you, what if you draw a blank at the ‘How’ to thicken the plot?

Sometimes we need help to spice it up and keep it brewing. And in this day of internet… Google specifically… it’s fast and easy to kick it up a notch.

Ask your search engine to find ‘plot generators’. In a nanosecond you’ll have 168,000,000 options to bust down the infamous writer’s block wall and get your characters moving again. But be careful what you ask for. Use only what you need. Maintain cohesive coherency at all costs lest you wind up editing out 12-grain mush to get to the meat. Readers demand steak and eggs. They flush the mush.

The good news is that search engines aren’t your only option for thickening the plot.

For those of us who don’t always have Google and other search engines at their fingertips, here’s where you can grab books – even a deck of cards (an affiliate link)– to bust through writer’s block and get more meat into your story. Snag the book or cards now, before you head out to your mountain top retreat with no internet.

On that note…

Happy Trails and Tales,

Alexie Linn

P.S. Since this new, finely focused blog is just getting started, the easiest way to get updates is to follow this blog and  follow me on Facebook.  New posts should appear on the Alexie Linn page – if I’ve held my mouth right… 😊

If you only want updates and pre-order deals of new releases of Books, Vellas and Audibles, the easiest way is to follow me on Amazon. When you get an email notice of a new book release, simply ask for it by the title — or by all Alexie Linn titles — at your favorite retailer.

And just one more thing. Here’s where to find and follow me on Goodreads. Please do to get in on all that Goodreads has to offer.

Posted on by Alexie Linn

Collaborate for success…

Collaborate for success…

In my experience, the very best collaborator is the one in your head.

Collaborator at work

Why is the very best collaborator the one in your head, you ask?

Because the collaborator in your head is the one you can control. You, the author, get to be boss of:

  • When and how fast the writing happens
  • How characters behave, including the dialogue
  • The scenery and how it harmonizes throughout the story

Just like any job you hire on for, there has to be a strong leader and a more malleable follower in order to complete a cohesive picture that flows from beginning to end. Without a leader, dare I say the one who had the bright idea in the first place, you get an abstract that invites the viewer to flesh out the meaning of the story.  You get gibberish. You get unfinished business.

I know this because I’ve been one side of a collaboration three times. Here’s what happened:

The first time I paired up with a fellow writer that lived about a thousand miles away. We wrote through snail mail.

It went well. We had a great story going. Until life happened and it petered out. Our priorities changed and one, or both, of us left the room.

The second time I got bit by the collaboration bug, my partner was my drama queen mother. We were camped in the Wenatchee National Forest and being the home base for my daughter, the corn hauler.

The story, ‘The Corn Rots at Midnight’, was on an excellent roll as Mama the leader, and me, the typist/follower. We were into the first edit when the corn hauling job was over and mama lost interest. I didn’t have the confidence to take over and go it alone.

The third time I took it on was with a long-distance cousin. But this time we had email to communicate.

Yep, it was my idea. Over our 30-year span of genealogy penpaling, she’d not mentioned her desire to be a writer… until that one time. I glommed on and suggested we collaborate on a Vella serial. I had 20+ successful publications under my belt, including the editing, and grabbed the bull by the horns. She expressed fear and concern over spelling and grammar. I assured her that I had that bug in the jar. It’s time to flap her wings and soar.

We sprinted out of the gate into a bang-up story. Our characters were quirky and striking. The suspense captivating. With our history of genealogy, the story was aptly titled, ‘The 156-Year-Feud Between the Murphy’s and the Nobles’.

Again, we were on a roll. But my cart raced while hers was in sightseer gear. She felt rushed and ran over. We had our first misunderstanding in more than 30 years of being friends and sounding boards.

Sadly, that 156-year feud will never be settled. And, at this writing, we’ve both lost a dear friend.

Will I give collaboration another shot? If I do…

Here’s what I will do to collaborate for success before the preface gets written:

  • Clearly define each of our rolls as with a job description
  • Discuss and agree on goals and time expectations
  • Decide the procedure for settling creative differences in a positive direction

Writing is a business. It has to be operated and respected as a business to be successful.

Choose your collaborator with cautious optimism. And don’t forget to lighten up; have fun at every switchback while you’re careening up and down that mountain.

Happy Collaborating,

Alexie Linn

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