Category: Advice

Posted on by

From the Editor’s Desk: How to stop placing commas like you’re throwing darts

Do you find yourself adding commas to your document like throwing darts at a dartboard? 

“Wherever they shall fall, there shall they remain!”

Please, for the sake of editors everywhere, just don’t. 

Generally speaking, people tend to use commas one of two ways: throwing a bunch like darts and leaving them where they land or avoiding them completely and hoping it all works out. Neither is very efficient. Don’t even get me started on the old, “Use a comma when you would take a breath.” Have a professional singer and a lifetime smoker read the same sentence and see how accurate that method is. (It’s not!). Now, you can argue that sometimes the comma=pause will work, but only if you’re actually saying something that requires a comma–not because of the pause. 

Now, what if I told you there was an easy way to master this small punctuation mark? I know it may sound wild, but there are actual rules that govern how and when you use a comma. In fact, these guidelines can be broken down into six (yes only six!!!) fundamental rules. If you don’t find yourself in one of these six situations, don’t add a comma!

Rule #1: Use commas when you start a sentence with a dependent clause. 

If the sentence starts with a subordinating conjunction–wait, did I just curse at you in grammar? Okay, pause. Subordinating conjunctions are words that combine two complete sentences while implying their relationship (which part is dependent on the other part). These are words like because, until, although, since, when, while, where, and others like that. When you start a sentence with those words, you put a comma before the subject of the sentence (the word the sentence is about). 

  • Because English grammar is weird, we like to add commas to help facilitate comprehension. 
  • Until you understand how commas are supposed to work, you will remain confused about their usage. 
  • Since we’re now discussing commas, you can use them with more confidence. 

Note: If you flip those sentences around and the subordinating conjunction is in the middle of the sentence, you do NOT use a comma. 

  • We like to add commas to help facilitate comprehension because English grammar is weird. 
  • You will remain confused about their usage until you understand how commas are supposed to work. 
  • You can use them with more confidence since we’re now discussing commas. 

Rule #2: Use commas when you have two complete sentences connected with a FANBOY. 

First, you need two complete sentences. To be complete, a sentence needs a subject and a verb. If both sentences are connected by a coordinating conjunction (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), you should put a comma before it. If you don’t have a coordinating conjunction between them, you can just use a semicolon. You can’t use just a comma by itself–that’s called a comma splice. Commas can do a lot of things (obviously), but they can’t connect two complete sentences without the help of a coordinating or subordinating conjunction. Basically, if there isn’t an extra because or and between your sentences, use a semicolon or a period instead. 

  • I love grammar, but I know that it can be ridiculous. 
  • Commas are amazing, and they can do so many wonderful things.
  • Sometimes, commas feel like the best piece of punctuation, yet they do have limits. 

Note: If the second part of your sentence doesn’t have a subject, do NOT use a comma. 

  • I love grammar but know it can be ridiculous. 
  • Commas are amazing and can do so many wonderful things. 
  • Commas can feel like the best piece of punctuation yet are still limited. 

Rule #3: Use commas to separate non-essential information. 

If your sentence has a group of words that can be removed without changing the fundamental meaning of the sentence, set it off with commas (a comma on both sides). This rule also includes extra information like parentheticals, transitions, and names in direct address.  

  • Commas, which are a versatile piece of punctuation, seem complicated.
    • Commas seem complicated. The fact that they are versatile is interesting but not necessary to the gist of the sentence.  
  • The Oxford Comma, the comma before the word “and” in a list, is necessary to the meaning of the sentence.
    • The Oxford comma is necessary to the meaning of the sentence. That is all. 
  • I know you mean well, of course, when you put commas in your work.
    • I know you mean well when you put commas in your work. 

Note: You do not need to put commas around information that is only one word. 

  • My co-author Beau Lake knows how to use commas properly. 
  • My husband Remi teases me about my dedication to the Oxford Comma.
  • He arrived in June from Baltimore.  

Rule #4: Put commas around introductory information of more than two words. 

When you begin a sentence with a preposition phrase (any group of words starting with a preposition like in, of, with, to, by, under, etc.), you should put a comma before the subject of the sentence. This rule is different from Rule #1 because that deals with complete sentences (clauses) while this rule is for phrases (groups of words that do not have both a subject and a verb). 

  • When using commas, be sure to make sure you actually need one. 
  • Often in essays, writers will add commas where they aren’t necessary. 
  • In writing, commas can be used for many things!

Note: If you only have two words and the sentence is short, you can leave the comma out if you want. 

  • In 2020 4 Horsemen Publications was formed.
    • Though I would probably just say, “4 Horsemen Publications was formed in 2020.”

Rule #5: Use commas around items in a list of three or more items. 

When you list items in a sentence, put commas between the first few and also before the and. Yes, that’s the Oxford Comma–and it matters! (See image above for reasons why it matters.)

  • Commas are used to set off non-essential information, show items in lists, and separate dependent clauses at the start of a sentence. 
  • You can have lists anywhere in a sentence–beginning, middle, or end–and it still works the same way!
  • Editing, reading, and writing are three of my favorite activities!

Note: You do not use a comma when you only have two items. 

  • Either my laptop or my printer is having a stroke right now. 
  • I need to decide if I’m bringing my tablet or my laptop on vacation this weekend. 

Rule #6: Weirdness (dates, names, addresses, contrast)

This is the catch-all rule for the rest of the stuff you may run into:

  • Commas are also used between the elements of an address.
    • Send payment to 300 West Road, Stanford, CT 06860.
  • Commas also separate the elements of a date.
    • The wedding was on December 12, 2004.
      • If you say December 12th 2004, you do NOT need a comma. Wedding invitations everywhere–take note!
  • Commas are used after answering a question with yes or no.
    • No, I do not like this. 
  • Commas are used when addressing someone specific.
    • Annie, where did you get your gun? 
  • Commas are needed after interjections like ah, oh, etc.
    • Ah, this water is refreshing. 
  • Commas are also used to contrast.
    • Harold, not Roy, is my favorite player. 

And that’s it! If you are writing and it’s not one of those six situations listed above, you do NOT need to use a comma. 

Posted on by

From the Editor’s Desk – Revision and Editing Part Three: Final Review (making sure your story is ready)

Excellent! You’re at the end now–only a few more things to keep in mind. If you want to, you can re-read the story again, this time skimming for the following elements: 

  • Point of View
    • You should be consistently 1st person (I, we, me, etc.), 2nd person (you–though books written like this are RARE), or 3rd person (she, he, it, they, etc.). Do NOT change point of view/pronouns mid-story. 
  • Tense
    • Your story is probably in past tense (I said) or present tense (I say). You may be experimental and use future tense (I will say), but that’s not common. Make sure your verbs are consistently in the same tense as the rest of the book!

If you have an eye for it, this is a good time to doublecheck your punctuation as well, but that’s in another blog! When in doubt, google it. There are tons of resources on how to use commas, semicolons, colons, hyphens, dashes, parentheses, and ellipses properly (You’re probably fine with periods, question marks, and exclamation points, so you already know a bunch of this stuff!). 

Obviously, if you spot typos, fix them. If you’re not sure which word to use (affect/effect, lay/lie, passed/past, etc.)… can you guess what I’m going to say? GOOGLE IT!!! You have all of the knowledge known to mankind at this moment at your fingertips. Use that resource for some good as well as looking at cat videos. (Psst…here’s a cute cat video. You’re welcome, and Rick says hi!).

Wow, it looks like you’re nearly there. One more thing–open your document and zoom way WAY out, down to like 10% or so, and gaze lovingly at your manuscript laid out in tiny little square pages. Skim it, and make sure that your formatting hasn’t gotten wonky somewhere along the way. Your chapters should start on new pages (and ideally should be marked as Heading 1). Your paragraphs should be indented a half-inch. And if you plan to submit your book to 4Horsemen Publications, the whole thing should be double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-point font. (Come on–you know I had to say it!). 

Everything looks good? YAY!! You are now ready to send your manuscript out the door and into the world. Enjoy this feeling of satisfaction, and then get started on the next book!

Posted on by

From the Editor’s Desk – Revision and Editing Part Two: Editing (or making sure you are consistent)

Woot! You made sure your story is ready to be shared with the world! 

Except, is it really? 

Think of it this way: your story is out of bed and dressed, drinking coffee and preparing to leave the house. But wait, do those shoes actually match, or is that a brown sandal and a black sandal? Maybe that hair could use a few more moments with a brush…

Taking the time to edit at this point saves everyone (especially your editor) a lot of time and energy. Let’s polish up that outfit and make sure everything is where it should be. 

Disclaimer: you’re going to read your story AGAIN (I know, awful, right? Please, you know you love it. That’s why you wrote it!). Except this time, you’re NOT reading for the story. You’re not looking at the overall picture–you’re zooming in on the nitty gritty, the small stuff. You’re looking at sentence-level issues and that CTRL F key is going to get a lot of use. 

This process may seem overwhelming, but there are specific things to look for that will improve the quality of your writing almost immediately. First, let’s start with the easy stuff–consistency!

Consistency in this case isn’t about the story at all; it’s about the way you have told the story. Is your capitalization and italics usage the same throughout? Here’s a quick reminder of the rules for both. 

Capitalization

You use capital letters in the following situations: 

  • The start of a sentence
    • She said there would be no tests on this. 
  • A title/position followed by a name
    • I was joined at the table by Captain Blythe and Admiral Ackbar and prepared myself for some very awkward dinner conversation.
  • A nickname or name that you call someone
    • Was Mom ever going to show up to this event?
      • Was my mom ever going to show up?
    • I know Little Bit was thrilled to wear her new dress tonight. 

You do NOT use capital letters in the following situations: 

  • Between dialogue and speaker tag
    • “Would you prefer soup or salad?” he asked. 
    • “I’ll take the salad,” she replied, “with ranch dressing.”
  • A title/position without a name
    • I enjoyed the commander’s company at the event. 
    • The president was happy to speak to Admiral Ackbar about the plans for reconstruction. 
  • A term of endearment
    • What do you think, sweetheart?
    • I’ll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!

I realize that last one may be confusing, so let me pause and give some more context. Yes, this means you have to distinguish between a nickname and a term of endearment. I call my daughter Biscuit so often that it’s become a nickname, so I capitalize it. I sometimes call my husband boo, but it’s not something I use every time, so it’s lowercase. You have to decide how you are using it, and then use CTRL F to find every occasion and make sure you have it the same way. 

Here’s a handy list of other words you may want to CTRL F to doublecheck capitalization: mom, dad, captain, commander, president, king, queen, princess, prince, detective, sergeant, lieutenant (basically, any titles or positions that come up in your story!)

Since we’re here, let me add this suggestion as well–if you have words that are unique to your book, add them to a Style Guide so you can consistently capitalize (or not) or italicize (or not) them throughout the whole story. Does your fantasy world have elves or Elves? Do your characters speak of God or god? Both are correct. Capitalizing something just makes it slightly more formal–heels instead of sandals–so decide if your story needs the elevation. 

Final Thought for Capitalization: When in doubt, GOOGLE IT!

Not sure if you should capitalize that dog breed? Google is your friend. Don’t know if you should capitalize Italian food? Google it (Yes, you capitalize food names that are places). What about french fries? Google! (Actually, no because french is the style of cut, not the origin). If you see both, choose the one that fits your situation.  

Italics: When to go sideways

Italics have specific uses in many academic style guides, but their uses in fiction are a bit more flexible. Generally speaking, here are some occasions when you should italicize something: 

  • A flashback or dream sequence
  • A foreign word that you want to emphasize is a foreign word
    • Jamie calls Claire his sassenach, a word meaning “outlander.” 
  • Titles of long works like movies, albums, books, TV series (shorter works get quotes)
    • Yes, this is MLA format, but I’m an English major! If you’re writing for a discipline, check your style guide, but most fiction uses this. 
    • I went to see Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and now I can’t stop hearing “Dog Days are Over” by Florence and the Machine. 
  • Names of planes, trains, ships, paintings
    • I took the Orient Express to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa. 
  • Sounds
    • Thud! We all looked at the door in horror. 
  • Anything you want to emphasize or draw attention to
    • I never said Josh stole the money! Why would you think I meant him?

Again, when in doubt, google it! As long as your usage is consistent throughout your story (and series!), you’re fine. 

Take a moment to doublecheck your capitalization and italics usage throughout your story. Then, add any special uses to your Style Guide, you know, that document you have that records details like this so you don’t have to re-read this book before you start writing the next one in the series!

Now, think about other words or phrases that are unique to your story. Make sure that you have spelled them the same way throughout. A useful trick is to CTRL F for easy misspellings of any names or titles that may slip by tired eyes. If my character’s name is Hannah, I check for Hanna, Hanah, Hana, Annah, Anah, and Ana, just in case my fingers slipped, and my spellcheck doesn’t catch it. 

You’ve done a chunk of editing for now, and your story is looking much better. Take a breather, and when you’re ready, come back for a final review. Then your story can actually leave the house!

Posted on by

From the Editor’s Desk – Revision and Editing Part One: Revision (or making sure you said what you think you said)

What’s that? You finished your book! Yay!!! Congratulations. Take a minute to enjoy this feeling. You earned it. 

Okay, now it’s time to get back to work! You didn’t think you were done, did you? Get ready, pour yourself a new drink, and prepare to enter the next stage of writing: Revision. You do not need a red pen, but you definitely need to take off those rose-tinted glasses. It’s time to get serious about your writing. 

To make this process a bit easier, we’re going to break it into three separate stages: Revision, Editing, and Final Review. Let’s start with Revision.

First things first: settle back and re-read your book–the whole thing. Yes, the entire book, from start to finish, preferably with as few breaks as possible so the story stays fresh in your mind. Use this read-through to experience the story you want readers to. 

Also, while you’re here, ask yourself a few questions: 

  • Does this story make sense? Do the events make logical and chronological sense to happen this way? 
  • Are the characters consistent to themselves (and also show growth in an arc as the story progresses)? 
  • Does the pacing feel right when the story is read straight through? Do certain parts drag or seem too rushed? 
  • Do you need to add more scenes or remove others?

Now, here’s the trick: don’t stop in the middle of your read-through to address any issues. Take notes, and when you have finished that last page, take a breath (maybe cry a little because the beauty of your writing has moved your soul), and then settle down to add/remove/tweak whatever story elements, character details, or other issues you saw on your way through. Cross off or delete your notes as you accomplish each change–trust me, this part feels so satisfying. 

When you have finished, if you are motivated, give it another read-through (or send it to your best–and super generous with their time–beta reader for a final round of feedback). Congratulations–part one is done! You have finished Revision. Now, it’s time to start Editing.

Stay tuned for part two of this series for Editing Tips and Tricks!

Posted on by

Imposter Syndrome – How to Deal as an Author

As an author, or any other profession really, it is very easy to fall into the trap of Imposter Syndrome. 

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Oxford defines Imposter Syndrome as: “the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.”

YIKES!

As an author it can be easy to find yourself thinking that you do not deserve the accolades you are receiving or even worse, you might think that nobody cares about your writing. This can be made worse by a bad review. When in fact, your writing might be impacting way more people then you realize and you might have a ton of people that can’t wait for your next release. 

One of the first things to remember is reviews are NOT for the author for the most part. The audience for them is other readers. You should not look at your reviews unless you have the ability to not take it personally. This is easier said than done. However, if you cannot distance yourself from them, then don’t read them.

As far as your work being “good enough”; simply put, it is the best work you are able to create in the moment you are in. Guess what? You will get better with every word you write. Something I find myself telling my authors all the time is this; when you get to the end of a book you are writing and you begin reading it for edits, remember: The work in the beginning of the book is not as good as the work at the end. Just clean up what needs to be cleaned up and move on to the next thing you are going to write. Otherwise, you will be in a forever loop of editing. You will not get your work into the hands of those adoring fans. 

STOP REWRITING!

In those moments when you are having self doubt about you as a writer and your work you need to remember: 

  • You are creating art because you have something to say. 
  • The words you are putting down will impact people regardless of if you ever hear how it has done that. 
  • You should not be writing to get a pat on the back or for someone to tell you how awesome you are. 
  • You should be writing because it is something you love to do. 

And most importantly:

  • YOU ARE AMAZING!!! You are writing which is a huge accomplishment and you should be proud.

Please refer back to this post any time you need a boost.

Posted on by

A Handy Guide to Book Club Questions

Have you ever finished a book and find yourself dying to talk about it? You can tell others what you think by writing a review and see what others thinks by reading their reviews, but what if you want more interaction? Book club questions can help guide a focused discussion!

Readers love discussing books with fellow readers. They love it even more when they have somewhere to begin that conversation. A convenient way to make that discussion easier is to include a list of book club questions at the end of your book.

What are book club questions? These are 10-15 open-ended questions designed to be answered by people who have finished the book and want to talk about it. Don’t worry about spoilers—assume that anyone seeing the questions has finished the book. They already know what happens—and they’re dying to talk about it!

Have you ever tried to talk about a book with a friend, but you don’t know where to begin? A list of questions to guide the conversation can be a useful tool to get things started.

How do you write engaging book club questions? Here are some things to keep in mind.

  • Don’t ask yes/no questions.
    • These do not encourage discussion at all.
      • Did you like Character A? Yes. End of discussion. Boring.
      • Did you like the ending? No. End of conversation. Boo!
      •  Will you read the next book? Yes… You see where I’m going with this.  
  • Do ask open-ended questions that force the respondent to justify their answer.
    • These allow readers to explain how and why they reacted this way.
      • Why did you like Character A more than Character B? Well, let me tell you that, at first…
      • Why did you like/dislike the way the book ended? I think I liked it because I’m a sucker for love stories but…
      • What do you think is next for these characters? What do you predict for the next book? Why do you think that’s where this is going?
  • Don’t ask simple questions.
    • If they can answer in one word or phrase, it’s too basic, and the conversation will end without getting into the good stuff.
      • What was your favorite part? The bar fight.
      • Who is your favorite character? The bartender.
  • Do ask complicated questions.
    • Why is our favorite word when crafting book club questions. It forces readers to think about the reasons supporting their position.
      • Why was the bar fight your favorite part? What about it struck you that way? Why do you think you appreciated that scene over the rest?
      • What about the bartender appeals to you? Why that character and not Character X or Y?
  • Do focus on the themes in your story and ask readers to react to them.
    • Character X struggles with Topic B. How does this affect your perception of their journey in this story?
    • Theme C is a major part of the conflict in this story. How does this affect Character B?

Here are some sample questions from a selection of 4HP books:

  • In what ways did the characters and their challenges feel real to you? Were there moments when the story felt unbelievable? (The Shooting by CK Westbrook)
  • This story focuses on the tendency to blame the messenger when something incomprehensible happens. How realistic did you find Kate’s experience? (The Collision by CK Westbrook)
  •  Kate often says she would not want to live in a world that does not include several things that are important to her. What are some things you value as highly in your world? (The Collision by CK Westbrook)
  •  “Centurion” focuses on the anger of an old woman—what does her perspective on her life say about the way society treats the elderly? (Cheeky, Bloody Articles by Cathleen Davies)
  •  “Your Son’s Good at Time’s Tables” showcases a familiar situation—someone wants to speak up but doesn’t and then obsesses about what should have been said–can you relate to this feeling of missing the moment to connect? (Cheeky, Bloody Articles by Cathleen Davies)
  •  Many of these stories: “White Butterflies,” “Blank Face,” and “Oh, Rats!” deal with grief and survivor’s guilt. What do you think the author is trying to say about grief? Do you feel this is an accurate representation of suffering? (Cheeky, Bloody Articles by Cathleen Davies)
  • If you could capture the memories and emotions of a deceased loved one, would that make them the same person they were when alive? Why? (The Bench by Ty Carlson)
  • If data could feel pain, loss, sadness, etc., would there be a moral consequence for its cause? (The Bench by Ty Carlson)
  • The author was inspired by medieval period myths, lores, legends, and history. How much of this can you find evidence of within the reading? People, places, events, culture, or other means? (Cedric: The Demonic Knight by Valerie Willis)
  •  Who’s the better werewolf: Nyctimus or Romasanta? Why? (Romasanta by Valerie Willis)
  • Tony is thrown into his quest with little direction. In what ways is this vital for his character development? (King Incubus by Valerie Willis)
  • Who should Hannah end up with: Klauden or Rory or neither? Why? (Klauden’s Ring by JM Paquette)
  • Hannah struggles with the conflicting values of her homeland and her newfound friends. How well does she handle this challenge throughout the story? What could she have done better? What did she do well? (Hannah’s Heart by JM Paquette)

Including book club questions in the back of your book is the easiest way to get picked up by book clubs—and even libraries—but more than that, your readers will appreciate your conversation starters. 

Posted on by

Amazon Just Closed My Account! Where Do I Go From Here?

It appears stepping into 2023 with Amazon has gone from a cobblestone road with a few bumps to completely lost in the woods. Visually, it’s equivalent to riding in a carriage with an angry Violet Crawley from Downtown Abbey before teleported to the woods at night being chased in The Blair Witch Project. So what is happening? Authors who have been publishing for YEARS are waking up to closed accounts without warning, notice, or reasons to explain why. Since January there has been a huge wave of alarm rumbling through the community. Social media is exploding as the community shares similar stories. Authors who have been long-time KDP published sellers are finding themselves with closed accounts without notice. And worse, met with aggression, no reply, or nonsensical answers with little to no hope of recovering these accounts nor being able to open new accounts. 

A Snapshot of a Rocky Past

Amazon has always had a rocky relationship with independent authors and self-publishers for a while, long before they bought out and folded in CreateSpace. This includes policy changes in erotica that sent a wave of blocked, pulled, and closed accounts to book review changes that continues to plague and confuse authors and readers alike. In short, they have been notorious for the inconsistency in which how and why they take said actions has been a mystery thwarting authors for years.

During the mass closing and COVID pandemic in 2020, many of these same authors were met with their audiobooks being held back, frozen, rejected, or their submission clocks reset while big publishers were still being launched as normal. From March until mid-November anyone under a certain size or account type found themselves completely dead in the water and no path for getting scheduled audiobooks out as they normally had been. It forced many to abandon ACX or find other methods to reach these channels outside self-publishing methods.

Why is This Happening?

It can only be speculated as there hasn’t been any formal statements from Amazon on why not only accounts are being closed without notice, but even big publishers are having unreliable data entry on the product pages (including here at 4HP!). Other problems include misspelled author names, wrong product linking (a preorder book had reviews for a kitchen appliance!), wrong BISAC or keywords, and more. Regardless, the question is: WHY?

Several news reports have been flooding Forbes, NBC, and more on recent layoffs and positions being dissolved. Amazon’s new CEO has been, as he phrased it, “making the company leaner” and many tech-based positions have been completely canned. The first wave hit on January 18th and again in March, with reports stating remote work stops in May, and that he “looks forward to the remaining team’s creative solutions” and “re-establishing in-office culture.” What does it really mean? Who knows, but we are definitely seeing an impact as lack of communication, confusion, and chaos erupts in our latest Amazon encounters. Rejections vary including:

  • Your account is associated with another banned/suspended account (Despite no history of one from the author).
  • “During a recent audit of your account, we found content and/or activities that are in violation of our Terms and Conditions” which doesn’t explain exactly what it was. This could involve:
    • Erotica was too much or a scene reported in a book that triggered this.
  • Copyright infringement. Your book had a cover, title, content, or something similar to a title already published. This one is scary, because in the recent months those who reported someone for plagiarism or selling content that they didn’t own, they’ve simply suspended ALL ASSOCIATED ACCOUNTS instead of doing any investigation work.
  • You mentioned trademarked items, characters, or used them. Fanfiction falls into this category and you should refrain from selling such works without putting in the effort to trade out and revise it to be its own book.
  • Enrolling in KDP Unlimited with a book sold wide.
  • Multiple accounts with the same books listed.

What Do I Do Now?

There are options! And more than you realize. For the sake of sanity here are some links and advice on options to consider. There is information out there and remember you’re not alone in this! Many authors are sitting there foaming at the mouth and in complete devastation (or completely in tears). It’s like that time you thought you deleted that manuscript or the cloud server ate a file. We’ve been there friend, so here’s some sources and options to soften the blow:

  • If you haven’t found Amazon’s verbiage on this matter, here’s their answer to what to do and if you can appeal from the affiliate side. There was a link and verbiage on amazon and as I write this, I can’t locate it but many are using the KDP Contact form to reach out to start communications on appealing: https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/help/node/topic/GACDBRFKVDTXSPTH  
  • Want to start fresh with a new account but worried you might do this wrong? No problem! Someone has recently written this how-to, but be mindful this one isn’t author centric but has a lot of insight and shows it’s not just authors being slammed by this: https://sellerinteractive.com/blog/opening-amazon-account-after-suspension/
  • Kindlepeneur is a great resource and they have a wonderful article on this topic with the difference between Suspended versus Terminated with insight on what options you have: https://kindlepreneur.com/amazon-account-suspension/ 
  • PUBLISH ELSEWHERE! There’s still ways to get your books back on Amazon without facing or dealing with Amazon directly. Consider using distributors or aggregators such as:
    • IngramSparks, Lightning Source, or CoreSource Plus is one of the largest distributors for self-publishers/IndieAuthors to big publishers.
    • Draft2Digital is a wonderful option for self-publishers and independent publishers. They aggregate and distribute widely and reach far.
    • Associations such as IBPA and others have a means for members to distribute through their own accounts and channels. Also, they often provide discounts and coupon codes for using services or list where to go.
    • Find a Small Press or Publisher who takes in previously published work! 4HP is one of those, so if this is something you want to give a try, head over to submissions or check out the details on other publisher sites to see what their policies are on accepting such works.
    • BookBaby is a great author services site that has expanded a lot in recent years and added distribution options for ebooks and more.
    • Author Services and groups are a great way and if there are issues they can spot them for you before publishing the content live and have no risk of suspension.
    • Vanity Presses have publishing packages and you can save on them by choosing to provide the files for the book (typeset and cover). Ask about special packages that simply give you access to their publishing channels and how much this would cost you per year to keep your book live on their channels (though this may be the most expensive route compared to the ones mentioned above).
Posted on by

What’s the Deal with Word Counts?

Ah, a great mystery in the industry that will blow your mind by the time we finish having a chat about this. Coming from a background in typesetting (book formatting) there’s so much that can be told about a book via its word count and the patterns we see across genres, readers, platforms, and more. Have you seen The Author’s Accountability Planner we release here at 4 Horsemen Publications every year? In this wonderful planner we have front matter to help you set goals and it includes this amazing snapshot:

Genre and Reader Impact

At a glance, it’s amazing to see where these numbers fall when you look at the right column in the image above. Depending on the reader you are writing to can decide how low or high you can go with your word count. Please note it’s not uncommon for Epic Fantasy and Epic Science Fiction to push close to the 200,000 word count range! Mixing and matching genre types can make the word count grow beyond the initial genre’s limits. Interestingly enough, looking at word counts on best selling books or staples for your genre and readership can be eye opening. 

  • TRUE: Books selling organically are often over the 80,000 word count range. This is seen within our own numbers in-house as well as industry.
  • FALSE: younger readers read lower word counts.
    • Upper middle grade (5th to 8th Graders) ranges: 45,000 to 100,000 words.
    • Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is often read by 5th graders and has 87,223 words approx. 
    • Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone starts at 76,944 words but as the series evolved they sky rocket to over 100,000 to 200,000 words! Peaking at Order of the Phoenix with 257,045 words.
  • TRUE: Best selling works often peak well over the 100,000 word count range.
  • FALSE: The modern reader doesn’t have time to read so shorter works are best.
    • With audiobooks and eBooks readers are having an easier time finding books at lower prices as well as reading longer works in piecemeal. 
    • Short stories sell better in collections over the 50,000 word range.
  • TRUE: First chapters shouldn’t be super long. Many best selling novels have shorter, more concise first three chapters with word counts falling between 1200 to 2500 words.
  • FALSE: Chapter word count doesn’t impact readers.
    • It depends on the reader. When writing webnovels and similar serializations you want to fall close to 1200-1700 words consistently every time. 
    • Some even push as high as a 2500 word count depending on genre.
  • TRUE: Readers are ok with series word counts getting higher. Oftentimes we see novels go higher and lower. As long as the books don’t fall too much lower than the initial work, readers tend to not notice and feel longer works as a type of reward.
  • FALSE: You can put a short story or novella within a novel series.
    • Readers will riot. These are best left as spin-offs independent from the core series.
    • You can often make a sub-series of short stories and novellas to keep them together.
    • Readers do enjoy spinoffs and shorter works from their favorite series, but if it’s implied as the next book in the main series that’s been novel length until this point, it will make them feel as if the author didn’t put their best foot forward.

Best Selling Novels

  • Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes 345,390 words
  • A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 146,500 words. Originally released in monthly installments of 18,500 words
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 455,125 words
  • The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis 38,421 words
  • The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown 170,000 words
  • The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho 45,000 words
  • Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery 39,500 words
  • War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 561,304
  • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 120,697
  • Watership Down by Richard Adams 156,154
  • The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 155,717 
  • Pet Sematary by Stephen King 142,664
  • Twilight by Stephanie Meyer 118,875
  • Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 113,665
  • Divergent by Veronica Roth 105,143
  • Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn 145,719
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 99,750
  • Discover more here: https://brokebybooks.com/the-word-count-of-175-favorite-novels/ 

Publishing Snapshot

From seeing a word count, a professional in the publishing industry can speculate and predict a lot about a book’s end product. Granted, it’s not 100% accurate but it can be startling to see in action. The first thing we do is make sure the word count meets the genre and reader needs. From there, we start thinking in terms of the final product. Here’s some fun facts:

  • The average 5.25 x 8 to 6 x 9 book page holds roughly 300-600 words depending on the design and font choices.
  • Most 80,000 word novels land between 250-300 pages.
  • Every 10,000 words often translates into 1 finished hour of audiobook. For example, an 80,000 word novel will often be an 8-9 hour audiobook.
  • Digital typesetting a 100,000 word novel for print and eBook with no images when utilizing InDesign can take anywhere between 2-6 hours. 

Wait! Formula Writing!

Even then, many authors have found developing a formula for writing based on word counts can aid in productivity. This ranges from writing sprints, to chapter goals, or simply being aware of the final word count target can keep the mojo flowing. Keep in mind that these just some numbers to be aware of when writing that may help you manage writing as a whole:

  • A 20-minute sprint will produce 200-350 words on average.
  • Speech to Text apps like Otter can convert 1 hour of talking into 2,000-4,000 words.
  • The average web novel chapter is 1200-2500 words.
  • Revisions on a non-edited 80,000 word first draft can add 10,000 to 30,000 words on average.
  • The average novel contains 25 to 50 chapters. Each can range from 1000 to 10,000 words.
Posted on by

Your Publisher Dissolved, Now What?

Let’s talk about the unspoken what if or even for many since COVID and other buyouts – WHEN YOUR CONTRACT IS NO MORE. That moment many authors may have already experienced when the Publisher or Press you signed on for is Dissolved. What does that mean? It’s a technical term for a company closing its doors permanently. The reasons can range:

  • Bought out and discontinued by a larger publisher/press.
  • Company filed and dissolved (sometimes filing bankruptcy or the owner unable to keep the company going for personal or business reasons).
  • Lawsuits or other legal action exposed royalties unpaid and other unsavory business practices.
  • Sometimes it’s a merger or buyout that doesn’t renew most of the contracts.

Where does the Backlist go?

First off, a backlist for an author or publisher is considered a book that was released 2+ years ago. These are the first books in a series or start of an author’s career in most cases. Prepare for the industry to refuse your backlist, a staple that is archaic and old as time (unless you’re a big author like Neil Gaiman and still considered ‘relevant’ on the market).

Regardless of the reason why you no longer have these books published, this often leaves authors midway in series and trilogies, or leaving books that once made money unable to reach readers, new and old. Many current publishers and presses will not consider previously published work and often this leads to feeling like you have to start all over again. This isn’t far-fetched from a new experience self-published authors are also feeling. Often self-pub authors will need to pull all their books and completely abandon them in order to sign with a traditional publisher or literary agent with a new book.

So where do all these books go? Nowhere. They return to a shelf or obscure place on a computer somewhere to collect dust meanwhile fans search in hopes of finding that book again in a thrift store someplace. 

Backlist are Vital to the Industry

This is the most confusing aspect of the industry. Why the stigma on backlist? What is it that has left a sour taste in the mouths of agents and publishers? After much toiling, it still doesn’t add up. Let’s review some things you should consider:

  • Ingram reported in 2021 that 78% of their overall sales came from their backlist. This was a distribution reach that included many of the big 20 publishers as well as independent publishers.
  • Written Word Media has reported time and time again, authors with 20+ more books published make more money.
  • New readers will always start at book one in a series, so publishing later books (i.e. 3, 4, 5+) without the rest defeats the purpose.
  • Marketing as an author has best results when you have 3 or more books already out in the series.
  • A large publisher contract is only 3 years long, so books barely hit into the “backlist” zone for a year before being dropped.

What Now?

Let’s discuss what to do. Because the majority of publishers will not accept your backlist, doesn’t mean there aren’t companies out there that will. 4 Horsemen Publications is one of those rare gems, but even some of these publishers will allow you to self-publish the backlist. In short, here are some things to beware of as you get files back, or to prepare in order to revive your backlist. This can even double for canceling a contract and pitfalls to avoid:

  • Don’t feel the need to pay for cover and typeset (especially if the price soars into the 4-digit and thousands of dollars range). Most publishers will want to do their own touch on the book and it’s rare that they keep these even when provided. Instead, focus on giving them the manuscript instead. 
  • Most contracts cover cancellation terms and in the case of dissolution where rights can be reverted. Many simply need a written notice while others might need a more detailed chain of events. Remember to review these sections in the contracts you signed and call upon legal help as needed.
  • Double check the copyrights. It should be in your name with the publisher as an agent. If you discover the copyright is listed under the publisher or another name, you should seek out legal advice on what the next steps should be on this matter. A dissolved company may allow you to change it to your own name, meanwhile a dropped contract may result in you needing to buy your book rights back!
  • Prepare for a complete relaunch and makeover. The best way to revive an abandoned or rocky situation is to take a huge step back and walk forward again. This is going to be the best method to handle a backlist when a publisher takes it on and even more so if you decide to self-publish it on your own.

Will 4HP Consider taking my Backlist? Previously Published Books?

In short, YES! But, as with any book we take on, it needs to be given to us via our submissions page and go through our process. We love to help authors and the community, but we have a quality and expectation to adhere to in order to maintain our values. Whether submitting to us or elsewhere be prepared to provide:

  • Proof you have the rights.
  • Book is no longer available at vendors or for printing.
    • Print versions will always be available as long as someone has it in stock, so this is just part of that used book market that will always show up.
    • eBook versions should be unpublished and unavailable completely.
    • Audiobooks should be unpublished and unavailable, but some distributors and contracts make this more complex. Some are locked in to be live for 5-10 years depending on the contracts the former publisher made. Be sure when you cancel your contract or the company dissolves that you reach out to make arrangements to still get your royalties accordingly!
  • Again, prepare for a complete makeover. New cover, new formatting/interior, and relaunch!
  • Don’t assume the publisher will be ok with the former publisher’s edits. Some might review and decide yay or nay, while others will say no and do it again with their standards applied.
Posted on by

How Authors Can Market Themselves Online

by Erik Deckers

When it comes to writing and promoting your book, 90% of the time is spent actually writing the book.

The other 90% is spent promoting it.

(I know what I said!)

I’m often asked by new writers about when they should start publicizing their books.

“Have you started writing it yet?”

No, they haven’t, they say.

“Then, right now.”

Shouldn’t I wait until the book is published, they ask.

“No, because that’s way too late. You need to start building your social media presence and audience before you ever get the book out. You need to promote it and get people excited before it finally drops.”

Also, I remind people, your publisher will not do the promotion for you. Oh sure, you’ll get some helpful publishers like 4 Horsemen who will help you, but they will not do it for you.

Basically, unless your last name is Grisham or Patterson, your publisher won’t do any promotion for you. Besides, no one will do it better than you because no one will care more than you. You can hire someone for you, but even they won’t come at it with the same passion as you. Plus it will cost a few thousand dollars to get anything worthwhile. Sure, they’ll know more about it and have better tactics and ideas, but unless you have a few thousand dollars lying around, you’ll have to do it yourself.

(If you do, I’ll be happy to handle all your social media for you.)

Ultimately, it’s a question of time versus money: If you don’t have the time, then you need to pay someone to do it. If you don’t have the money, then you need to find the time.

Without explaining how to do it all (because there are several good books on the subject, your publicity efforts should include at least two of the following:

  • An email newsletter campaign.
  • A blogging campaign.
  • A social media campaign (Twitter and/or Facebook, plus maybe TikTok).
  • A book reviewer/blogger campaign.
  • A podcast interview campaign.
  • An email-your-friends campaign. (Email each of them, one at a time, and ask them to buy.)

I like the first three campaigns because they’re the easiest, they can be automated and scheduled, and they’re free. (Actually, they’re all free, but some are more time-consuming than others.)

Email Newsletters

Send out a monthly newsletter that discusses specific topics about you, your books, your writing career, other writers, and so on.

Write about your latest book. Share short stories and backstories about minor characters. Share publishing news. Share writing news. Did you get a writing residency or award? Share it! Review other books and urge your readers to buy them. Interview other writers, especially those within the 4 Horsemen ranks, and urge people to buy those books as well.*

* Remember, readers don’t read one book per year and call it quits. So become a trusted resource for your readers and share your favorite books. Get the other authors to do the same for you. Pretty soon, you can combine the total power of your social media and email lists and get them working for each other.

I like mailchimp.com the best because it has a free email option of sending up to 500 subscribers per month. If you grow a bigger audience than that, chances are you’ll be doing well enough to pay for the first paid upgrade level.

Blogging

Basically, everything I said about blogging is also true of your newsletter. In fact, blogging is more important than email newsletters, but I already wrote that section first and don’t feel like moving it. 

Everything you put in your newsletter also needs to go into your blog. In fact, it should go in there first. Then, just put 200-word snippets into the newsletter with a “Click here to read the rest of this article” link as a way to drive traffic to your blog.

Your blog should be the hub of your social media campaign, but your email newsletter is your list of readers. If any of these social networks ever fall flat — looking at you, Twitter! — you can find all those people on any new social networks that pop up to take their place. But your blog is the place where all the past cool stuff can easily be found.

Social Media

Almost everyone is on social media now, so I won’t go into the whats and hows of social media. And if you’re not, get my book Branding Yourself: How to Use Social Media to Invent or Reinvent Yourself, and follow the various steps. Get on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and start building your networks. If you’re a business writer, use LinkedIn instead of Facebook. Blah blah blah, you know this part!

(If you don’t, there are people who are happy to help you get started on social media. I’ll even give you some advice to get rolling. Let me know!)

Build up your followers and friends with more readers. Do a search for your chosen genre and find the people who read or write in that genre. They probably used the word in their bio, or maybe you encounter them during a #WritersLift or #AmWriting blitz: Remember, writers are readers, so be sure to follow all of your fellow authors. 

Promote those writers without waiting to be promoted. Read their books and leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads; tweet/share those reviews and be sure to tag the authors. Write about their books on your blog. Share their stuff on Twitter. Basically, you want them to know you value them, and they’ll do the same for you. 

But don’t do it quid pro quo. Do it because you want to be a good literary citizen. Literary citizens help people find interesting books, they help authors reach more readers, and they basically help the literature world be a better place. If you can do that, you’ll help yourself as well. People will support you because you’re a supportive person.

Book Bloggers and Reviewers

I’ll be the first to admit, I like reviewing books because it means people send me books! What better job could there be, unless someone wanted me to review cheese?

(Seriously, I’d love to become a cheese reviewer. If you know anyone who can help, hook me up.)

There are hundreds of book reviewers out there, all writing books, doing podcasts, and shooting TikTok videos about the books they’ve read. Some are generalists and will review anything, others will only review books in a specific genre. Do some research and reach out to each person individually (see below about emailing your friends), asking them to review your book. Send them an EPUB or PDF version of the book, since printed books are getting really, really pricey. This way, you can keep this campaign cost very low.

Don’t be afraid to send the book to other outlets like Kirkus Reviews either. Some of these review sites carry a little more weight than others, so do a little research and find some specific book-review outlets.

While we’re on the subject of reviews, get a group of friends to leave reviews of your books on Amazon and Goodreads. Those things are worth their weight in gold when it comes to getting more readers — which is not much, considering it’s all virtual; it’s worth its weight in pictures of gold. More reviews lead to your books being more readily discovered and recommended, so be sure to ask your readers to review your books.

And to share them on social media.

Podcasting

Rather than telling you to start your own podcast, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing, let me say that you should try to appear on as many podcasts as you can. Search Spotify and Apple Podcasts (through the Apple Store) for podcasts about writing or your chosen genre, or just Google “podcasts about [genre].”

Track down those podcasters’ websites and listen to past episodes. Do they have guests? What kinds of things do they talk about? How can your book or your writing career be interesting to their listeners?

Don’t ask “Will my book/career be interesting?” Yes, of course, it will! I have no doubt in my mind about that!” Just find the parts that will be interesting — that’s the how of it.

Email the podcast hosts and ask them if they need guests for an upcoming episode. Share your blog, social networks, and book landing pages.

Then, make sure you have a decent microphone and a quiet place to record. No need to go out and get an expensive mic; get a gamer’s headset with a boom mic on Amazon for under $30. Then, make sure you have fast enough wifi, show up at the expected time, and you’re ready to go.

(To ensure there are no problems, reboot your computer and router on the morning of your interview, so you don’t have any inadvertent glitches or crashes. Also turn off every program and application except for the one you need for your interview.)

Email Your Friends

I learned a hard, bitter truth when I published my first novel: Your friends won’t buy your book just because you’re their friend. If that were the case, you could just post a few times on Facebook and sell thousands of copies. But they just won’t do it, no matter who you are.

Either that or all my friends are selfish assholes.

Go through your email list and start emailing them ONE BY ONE and ask them to buy your book. Don’t BCC a bunch of people with the same generic message, because they won’t respond well to it.

You can copy and paste the basic boilerplate information, like where to buy it, when it goes on sale, etc. But personalize the message to each person, so they know you’re only emailing them.

“Hey, Susan, I know we haven’t talked in a few years, ever since that thing with Kevin the incontinent llama. But I’m hoping that time has healed our wounds enough that you would consider buying my new book, Mackinac Island Nation, which is being re-released by 4 Horsemen Publishing. You can even get a copy for your friends and family this holiday. I already sent a copy to Kevin’s handler with another apology note.”

Final Thoughts

You need to do book publicity to make people care about your book. You need to promote your book until you’re sick of it. And then you need to promote it some more. And when you think everyone else is sick of it, promote it some more.

You can do it all for free, but it’s going to take some time. Or you can pay someone a lot of money and then you’ll have all sorts of free time to start on your next book. Just remember, promoting your book takes as much time as actually writing it, so don’t assume that people will buy it just because you wrote it. They need you to remind them over and over and over. 

And over.