Mailing List Live

Hi all!

If you follow me on Facebook and Twitter, you may have seen me posting about my mailing list.

A mailing list is a list of email addresses that readers let authors have in exchange for a newsletter, free book etc. In this case, I will use my mailing list to send out a monthly newsletter which will contain the following:

- Pre-order dates.

- Release dates.

- Cover reveals.

- Book recommendation of the month (both traditionally published and self published books).

- Blog posts from the past month.

- Writing excerpts.

- Facts from the Elemental Dragons universe.

- Monthly news.

- Giveaways and contests.

- Announcements.

In return for signing up, you will receive a free ebook! The ebook contains four stories from the Elemental Dragons universe.

They are:

- Circles: Russet dreams of being free but is trapped in reality.

- Hesitation: Hercules finds an opportunity to escape the humans who have tortured it for decades, but the world outside has changed.

- Passion: Ophelia desperately tries to find inspiration amongst the grime of the city.

- Purpose: Moon takes in four younglings for his own amusement, but he finds himself getting attached to them.

If you would like to sign up, please click the link below and keep an eye on your emails for your free ebook:

https://www.subscribepage.com/jessicaturnbull

See you next week!

Pros and Cons of Facebook Pages

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about the pros and cons of Facebook pages. A Facebook page is a business page you can create on Facebook that fans can follow to see your posts. Many authors have Facebook pages for themselves, their books or both.

I currently just have a Facebook page for myself, which you can follow here:

https://m.facebook.com/jessicaturnbullauthor/?ref=bbookmarks

Pros

It's another platform to communicate with readers.

Millions of people use Facebook daily, which is a big potential audience for you. By tapping into this audience, people may discover you that wouldn't have done so otherwise.

You can create Facebook ads.

Having a business page means that you can create ads on Facebook to advertise your page, website or books. You can pick what audience you want to target and what budget you're comfortable with. This means more people can discover your book.

You don't have to post as often.

On many social media pages you have to make sure you post daily to keep your audience interested. However, on Facebook most only make one or two posts a week and will manage to keep interest. I only post on mine once a week, twice if I have any announcements. This makes managing the page much easier.

Image and video posts do better.

I have found that posts with an image attached get more engagement than just a regular status update. This can allow you to be creative with your posts and take pictures of your writing routine, excerpts or stationery.

You can choose to make a separate page for book series.

This is good if people are a huge fan of one particular series of yours. You can then manage this page and connect with fans before an unofficial fan page pops up.

Cons

It's harder for people to find you.

Unlike Twitter where you can connect with others via hashtags and games, Facebook isn't really like that. Many people won't stumble on your page without advertising.

Too many pages.

If you have, or are planning to write, several different series then the amount of Facebook pages can get out of control. At first I created an Elemental Dragons page, but I deleted that when I realised that I would have to do that for every book series and run them all. I've currently got three other series planned as well, which means that plus my author Facebook page I would have to run five pages. I decided that it wasn't worth the hassle and have decided to stick to just my author page, which saves a lot of time.

Ads might not do as well as you'd hoped.

You have to do a lot of testing to find the perfect ad that draws people in, which can cost a lot of money you don't have. When you post that perfect ad, you may be disappointed that it didn't do as well as you'd hoped.

People are more likely to miss your posts.

With the way Facebook is set up, you can easily miss posts from pages you are following. Although people can pin your page so that your posts are the first they see, most people won't do that as they want to see other posts first.

Unofficial fan pages.

Although a fan creating a page for your book can be flattering, you have no say in what they post. If they post things that you don't agree with, people might think that it's your view and they won't be interested in your books anymore.

I hope you enjoyed this week's post, see you next week!

Why Authors Need to Promote Their Books

Hi all,

As promised, this week I'm going to talk about book promotion. Specifically why authors, both traditionally and self published, need to promote their work.

For those who don't know, book promotion is essentially advertising your book. There are many ways to promote your book:

- Social media.

- Facebook ads.

- Amazon ads.

- Posters.

- Social media banners.

- Book trailers.

- Interviews.

- Newsletter.

- Mailing list.

- Author website.

- Articles.

- Book Awards.

- Q&A.

- Promotion sites.

- Giveaways.

- Book signing.

- Book tour.

- Contests.

- Discounts.

- Reviews.

- Book bloggers.

Some of these are free, but most of them cost money. What's important is that you find what works for you, instead of dumping hundreds on a marketing strategy that doesn't deliver.

Now, onto why authors need to promote their books.

While traditionally published authors do get some help from their publisher, they still need to promote themselves. The publisher won't do everything, it's up to you to make posts on your social media and update your website.

Readers will find your work.

Without promoting your book, how will readers know it exists? You can't expect them to magically find you. With thousands of books being published every year, you need to make sure that they find yours.

Reviews.

The more reviews you get, the easier it is for readers to find you. A good mix of reviews will interest readers in buying your book, as people have rated it before. Plus, many promotion sites won't promote you unless you have a certain number of reviews.

You can't just rely on word of mouth.

This only goes so far, plus you need to find people to talk about your book first. Once you start getting more readers, you can rely on word of mouth a bit more.

You'll build an audience.

If you build an audience that like your work, they are more likely to buy your next book. You can't just rely on your family and friends for book sales.

You can be creative.

It's your brand, so you can market how you like. You can pick how you want to promote your book and target your audience.

You don't need to spend loads of money.

Although marketing can be expensive when you create ads, they aren't the only way to market your book. Posting on your website and social media doesn't cost a penny, and using promotional sites doesn't have to cost much. If your budget is low, choose wisely what marketing options to choose.

Self publishers need to.

If you don't promote your work when you're self published, no-one will find it. You'll miss out on so many potential readers by not marketing your book.

You don't have to do it alone.

This is especially true with social media, as your fans can post about your book and share your posts. Every like, comment, post and share helps.

Next week I'm going to talk about the pros and cons of authors having a Facebook page. Hope you enjoyed, see you next week!

Sensorially Challenged Volume Two

Hi all,

In March I wrote a blog post about Adverbially Challenged Volume Four, an anthology I had written a short story for. This week I'm going to talk about Sensorially Challenged Volume Two, another anthology I'm included in.

The anthology has been published by Christopher Fielden, who hosts writing challenges on his website. You submit your themed story to one of the challenges and it is guaranteed to make it into the book. Once a challenge has received one hundred stories, he publishes them in print and ebook. I'm so grateful to be included in two of his anthologies, it truly is a wonderful feeling to see your work published!

The cover and blurb for Sensorially Challenged Volume Two

To visit his website and check out his writing challenges, books and competitions, please click the link below:

https://www.christopherfielden.com

I highly recommend buying the anthology, it's a great read. If you wish to buy a copy, please click the link below:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sensorially-Challenged-2-Christopher-Fielden-ebook/dp/B07SB1FK92/ref=as_sl_pc_qf_sp_asin_til?tag=christfielde-21&linkCode=w00&linkId=64ea5d30124998ce95f6342ac9fcc37f&creativeASIN=B07SB1FK92

One of the best parts about the anthology is that a portion of the proceeds from each book goes to charity, in this case: National Literacy Trust.

To visit their website and check out the wonderful work they do, click here:

https://literacytrust.org.uk

Unlike my last story which was about cats, this one was about a fox. Foxes are one of my favourite animals (I bet you can guess what my number one favourite animal is) and I've always wanted to write a story about one. This anthology is themed around senses, so I've tried to include as many as possible from the point of view of the fox.

Foxes are such sweet animals, and it was an easy choice to write a short piece about one. I thought about making the fox a Kitsune, but changed that idea at the last minute.

I hope you enjoyed this week's post. Next week I'm going to talk about why authors, traditionally published and self published, need to promote their books.

See you next week!

Why I Chose to Write About Dragons

Hi all!

Before I begin this week's blog post I want to highlight an article by Bryan Collings, who got in touch after reading my blog post on writer's block. Feel free to check it out below, it's very in depth and includes thirty six ways to get through writer's block:

https://becomeawritertoday.com/writers-block/

This week I'm going to talk about dragons. I've loved dragons since I was little, but it never occurred to me to write about them until I was seventeen. Before then I mostly wrote about cats, especially my own, Rocky.

One day I decided to go on Amazon and have a look at books that contained dragons. I wanted something different to read and always found dragons cool.

There wasn't much.

Most of the ones that popped up were picture books, and I was very disappointed. So I went online and had a look around. I came across several posts on forums from readers frustrated that dragons weren't written about that often. If they were, they were the villain or the mentor.

Because there wasn't anything that I could find, I thought I'd write my own.

I didn't want my dragons to be the huge treasure hoarders that are usually portrayed, so I decided to spice it up a bit. I loved the dragons in How To Train Your Dragon, as they each had their own personality. I wanted my dragons to act like overgrown pets, a mix between cats and dogs. 

The dragons in Elemental Dragons are all different, but act like family pets. They play like kittens, stick their tongues out like dogs and silently judge you like a cat does. They are also able to communicate with feline and canine creatures as they share the same language, but each animal species has different mannerisms when speaking. They are only able to communicate with humans through growls and barks however, as I decided against having them speak. I thought it would be too weird.

The series also has several types of dragon, four species that show up in the universe. They are:

Primordial.

This species is extinct in the books, but they have had a large impact on the dragon raising culture and the characters do learn about them as time goes on. There are three sub-species in this category: Anthropomorphic, Draconic Hybrid and Hydra.

Avian.

The most common species of the Elemental Dragons universe. This type is also the only type where the teenagers can form a 'bond'. There are four sub-species: Amphiptere, Drake, Fairy and Western. The Western dragons are the ones that are usually bonded with, and most of the dragon characters in the books are Western.

Aqueous, a Western dragon - Artist

Reptilian.

This species is the rarest, as they are most likely to be hunted by the other species for food and hunted by humans for their horns. There are three sub-species in this category as well: Eastern, Ouroboros and Wyvern.

Serpentine.

These dragons are parasitic in nature, and tend to live off the Primordial dragons. Most of these species are also extinct in this universe, as they largely died off when the Primordial dragons went extinct. There are four sub-species: Great Serpent, Lindworm, Sea Serpent and Wyrm.

Most of these dragons are rarely shown in books and film, so I researched many dragon types and categorised them into species. All of them will be at least mentioned across the series, with some having major roles in the plot. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't go into any more detail.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed learning about the dragons in Elemental Dragons and why I write about them.

See you next week!

Ways to Overcome Writer's Block

Hi all,

As promised, this week I'm going to discuss ways you can get through writer's block. Every writer gets writer's block, it's an unfortunate reality of writing. There's nothing wrong with dealing with it, it could take months to come out of. Below are a few ideas that have helped me when I've hit writer's block.

Take a break.

Sometimes writing every day can cause burn out and you can hit a block with your writing. Take a few days off to relax and come back to your project with fresh eyes.

Work on another project.

Writing, editing or planning another project can help overcome writer's block. It means you can continue writing while taking some time away from your current project.

Read.

Take some time away from your project and read books in your genre. Not only will it help you relax, but holding an author's book in your hands could inspire you to keep going.

Edit your current project.

If you hit a wall with your project, go over what you've already written and give it a quick edit. It could help you move the story forward.

Free Write.

Choose a random prompt and write about what your characters would do in that situation. For example, Character A drags Character B into going hiking, but forgets to bring a map. This way you'll still be writing about those characters in a different scenario that could get your creative juices flowing.

Change your environment.

If you usually write at home, try going to a coffee shop and write. Sometimes a change in environment can inspire you.

Plot ahead.

Jump ahead in your project and plot what happens next, then keep going until you get to the ending. Work out how you can make it from where you are now to the end point.

Listen to music.

Listening to music is quite good for inspiration, as I can usually imagine scenes based on what music I listen to. If you're stuck on a fight scene, try listening to fast paced music. Love songs for romance scenes, etc.

Play with your pets.

This works for me quite often, as Rocky and Mishka are always happy to get some attention. Taking time away and thinking of something other than writing can make you feel better about your work and return to writing.

Next week I'm going to talk about why I chose dragons over any other mythological creature for my book series. 

See you next week!

How Pets Can Influence Your Writing

Hi all!

This week I'm going to talk about how pets can influence your writing, as promised in last week's blog post.

They help with animal characters.

The behaviour of the dragons in Elemental Dragons is based off the behaviour of my cats, Rocky and Mishka. Take Drea, Marco's dragon, for example; she likes nothing more than to sleep in the peace and quiet. She doesn't like being bothered by other dragons. This reflects on Rocky in real life, as he loves to sleep and hates other cats getting too close to his territory.

You can put them in your projects.

Rocky is a main character, as a human, in Elemental Dragons. This is because he inspired me so much and was always around when I wrote Blood and Water (asleep of course). I want to make sure a part of him will live on in my books after he's gone.

They help with designing creatures.

If you're having trouble designing creatures, aliens or monsters make sure you look to your pet for inspiration. The way they move, their personality and their looks can be integrated into a creature design. For example; a canine-like alien with twin tails and toxic breath.

Rocky, in one of his favourite sleeping spots

Giving pets to your characters can show their softer side.

Everyone treats their pets differently to how they treat other people. Your pet is a part of your family, your baby. Use your relationship with your pet as a base for how your characters interact with their animals.

They'll entertain you when you take a break.

Mishka starts meowing when I spend too long writing, she's like a furry timer. Whenever I step away from my writing I use that time to play with her and give her cuddles (until she's had enough).

They are a great distraction.

Getting frustrated with your work? Just go to your pet for a play session. Taking a break for a minute or so will give you some much needed time to think about new ideas and how to fix the problems in your stories.

Mishka, snuggled up in

They're great for stress.

Pets are amazing for stress. During my exams in secondary school Rocky was great, he would sit near me as I revised and did homework and let me pet him whenever. Mishka has been wonderful for when I stress about self publishing, hearing her purr and scratching her chin helps me relax.

Their antics make great stories.

With all the funny things animals do you can create so many stories. I once wrote a story about the time when Rocky went outside for the first time and how he explored his new territory. He kept trying to jump on the garden wall but couldn't quite make it because he was too small.

They will do the writing for you.

If your pets are anything like Mishka, they will walk all over the keyboard adding a bunch of random letters or words to your story. At least they're trying to help!

That's it for this week! Next time I'm going to write about what you can do when the dreaded writer's block hits.

See you next week!

The Pros and Cons of Having an Author Logo

Hi all!

This week I thought I would go back to another pros and cons blog post. In March I made a poll on Twitter asking how many authors had logos. The results are below:

Screenshot from my Twitter account

As you can see, not many authors have logos.

It got me thinking about whether author logos are necessary.

So, I thought I'd make a post weighing up the pros and cons of authors having logos.

Pros:

Your brand is easily identifiable.

Logos are the first thing that pops up in people's heads when you talk about companies. Some companies have logos that are more recognisable than the rest of their brand. To make your author brand stand out, a logo may be necessary.

It looks professional.

Brands with logos look more professional than ones without. Think about how you want your readers to perceive your brand.

You can put it on everything.

Your website, social media and even your books can display your logo for all to see.

Design.

You can have your logo designed specifically to convey a message or draw readers in. It is unique to you, so you can be as creative as you want with it.

Cons:

Authors don't typically have logos.

As you can see from the results of my poll, very few authors actually have a logo. It could be argued in this case that you don't need one.

It can add to your budget.

A logo is an easy to thing to overlook if you have a budget, and you don't necessarily need one. Getting a logo designed can be expensive, and many people don't have the funds to spare when publishing.

People don't remember authors for their logos.

Readers remember a certain author for writing their favourite book, not for having a logo.

Readers won't notice an author logo.

Even if you put it in everything, it's usually the last thing people will notice. Readers will read your book and may not even notice your logo.

It's another thing to remember.

When you have a huge checklist of things to get done before your book comes out, you don't want to worry about a logo. It can be an extra stress you don't need.

I thought about getting a logo, but I've decided against it for now. It's not necessary to publish a book with one so it means I have one less thing to worry about. One day I might change my mind, but for now I'm happy without a logo.

Next week I'll talk about how pets can be a fantastic influence on your writing.

See you next week!

How I Started Elemental Dragons

Hi all,

Last week I ran a poll on Twitter to see what you wanted to read next, and most people voted for a blog post on how I started Elemental Dragons. I hope you enjoy.

Although I've been writing since I was very young, as soon as my exams hit I didn't have the time to do much because of revising and homework. Unfortunately my writing went on the back burner until I had more time.

After finishing my AS Levels at seventeen, I decided to start writing again. The most I'd ever written for one project was 25,000 words, so I wasn't expecting to write a novel. I thought I would just write until I got bored of the story as I normally did. I had loads of unfinished stories on my laptop that I just couldn't bring myself to work on.

I'd written many short stories, but a novel seemed like too big a project for me.

Once I started writing however, I didn't stop.

I had a vague idea of the story, but I had no idea where it would end up. I was just making it up as I went along. Once I hit 15,000 words I realised I'd have to change my strategy.

So, I spent hours searching for the perfect character names and settings. Once I hit 45,000 words I started researching traditional publishing. I had a gut feeling that I was going to finish this story and I wanted to get it out there. I read so many blog posts on word counts, query letters, formatting and literary agents to make sure the book was publishable. I would write for an hour, and then research for an hour. I was so scared of doing something wrong that would make it so I could never be published. My anxiety was through the roof.

Three months later, I had written 89,000 words and finished the book. I never thought that I could do it.

It was untitled at the time, as I couldn't think of a fitting name for it. I left it for a month before I started editing it.

I spent ages reading editing tips and tricks to make sure I did it right. I managed to cut it down to 81,000 words.

But then exams came round again, and I couldn't focus on it anymore. A few months later I finished my exams and turned my attention back on my book once more.

I was still intent on getting it traditionally published, as I had very little knowledge on self publishing.

For two years I did nothing but edit the book again and again as I was scared of sending it out. I didn't want to get rejected.

When I hit twenty one, I decided to send it out to agents and publishing houses. I sent out eighty queries, and each one rejected me. It was a tough process, but I'm glad I went through it. There was always a niggle at the back of my mind that I should self publish, and I eventually followed that gut feeling.

I don't know where that gut feeling will take me, but I hope it was the right decision.

I want to get my story out there, and keeping all control over my work is what I want to do. I don't want to be given a cover I hate, or edits that don't fit with the characters.

I want to do this on my own, I did everything else on my own, and I want to make it my achievement. I don't want other people taking credit for all the hard work I put into Blood and Water.

That's the story of Elemental Dragons, see you next week!

Why Animal Characters Need Different Personalities

Hi all,

As promised, this week's blog post is going to talk about animal characters. I will be using excerpts of Blood and Water in this post, but it will be spoiler free and not mention the main story.

Like people, no two animals are alike. So, they need to have differing personalities and traits that make them stand out. I've read a lot of books with animal characters that fail to do this, so all the characters are just different versions of the same character. It's disappointing.

Animals are different too.

For example, my cats are very different to each other. 

Rocky is lazy, and loves nothing more than to snuggle up on the sofa. However, when he goes outside he gets very protective of me and will follow me around the street to make sure I'm okay.

Mishka on the other hand, is nuts. She doesn't think before she acts, which often means that she ends up banging into something or timing a jump incorrectly. She hates to be picked up and cuddled, but will happily play for hours before falling asleep.

Two different cats, two different personalities. You can easily show the difference between animals in writing, such as this piece from Blood and Water:

Normie, the cat, is brash and confident until threatened. Aqueous tried to warn him of the situation by pulling his tail, being the voice of reason to his friend. Unfortunately Normie was too confident and got scared by Sadie. This showcases both ways of thinking and how they interact with each other.

Another way to showcase their personalities is through how other characters talk about them and their actions. For example:

This shows that Cerberus is a playful character, as Rocky doesn't say this with any malice. Instead he shakes his head, as if he's used to her doing stuff like this all the time.

Making animal characters alike is boring, they need their separate personalities. You want the audience to connect with them like any other character. People don't want to read about three animals that are the same personality as each other. It's boring. Treat animal characters like human ones, make them likeable and unique to other characters in the book.

That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed!

See you next week!