Tag: generosity

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A3 Contributor Book Release The Intentional Writer

Three Lessons from Writing My Second Novel

The intentional writer

I’m excited to share my new release, Fountains and Secrets, with my Almost an Author family, along with a few things I’ve learned along the way.

The Book

Introducing a new mystery set in the world of the early church. Fountains and Secrets is the second book in the Livia Aemilia Mystery series. Like the first book in the series, Fountains and Secrets features a spunky female sleuth and her sassy sidekick, who aren’t afraid to be a little unconventional in pursuit of the truth. They are aided in their investigative endeavors by a motley collection of friends, servants, and a couple of strays (human and feline).  

For readers who enjoy mysteries and historical fiction with a touch of humor, Fountains and Secrets is quirky, clever, and engaging tale of identity, purpose, and hope.

Fountains and Secrets by Lisa E. Betz

And what have I learned about writing and promoting as I’ve worked through bringing two books to print? There are too many lessons to share in one post, but here are three I hope will encourage you as you continue on your author journey.

Writing a series isn’t as easy as I thought

In the mystery genre, series are normal, so I had planned from the beginning on writing a series of Livia Aemilia books. I was expecting the second book to be easier, since I already knew the main characters and had a feel for the tone and setting.

It didn’t turn out that way.

Working on the first book, my heroine’s voice seemed to come naturally, so I assumed it would come as naturally in the next one. Nope. It took me several false starts before I dialed in the right tone for Fountains and Secrets.

I thought that after having written one mystery, plotting the second one would be easier. Maybe. I think I had a better idea of what would make a good mystery story, but actually plotting the book proved just as challenging as my first attempt. Apparently, I still have a lot to learn about creating a plot from scratch, which means I must do a lot of rewriting along the way to until I get a plot into shape.

Despite these challenges, I persevered. With the help of good feedback, my characters came to life again and the plot eventually fell into place.  

I hope my experience will encourage any of you who are struggling with your next writing project. Book two wasn’t as easy to write as I’d hoped, but early feedback says it’s a better story than the first book.

And that tells me the work was worth it.  

Generosity and networking are important.

As in most of life, you reap what you sow. At some point you will need to have kindhearted authors who are willing to support you in a promoting your book in some way. How do you find these magical people?

First of all, you need to meet them and interact with them. This could be a face-to-face conversation at a writers conference, or it could be a relationship built over time while corresponding online through a writer’s group or through writing for blogs like Almost an Author.

Next, you have to be generous in promoting and supporting other writers. When you do willingly promote others with no strings attached, you are advancing God’s kingdom by helping get truth out into the world.

And you are also sowing goodwill, which you can reap late when you need help. For more thoughts on how you can be a generous writer, read this post.

Writing contests can be a good investment

Opinions differ on the value of entering your work in writing contests. Some experts say that it’s a waste of time to enter your book in any but the most prestigious contests.

I disagree.

I admit that becoming a finalist in a writing contest hasn’t made a significant impact in book sales, BUT (and this is a big but) it has made a significant impact on my author journey. Among other things, placing in writing contests boosts your resume, may snag the attention of an agent or publisher, and is noteworthy news that can be used in press releases and social media.

In addition to the practical reasons, being named a finalist in a contest, no matter how small, can make a difference in the tender heart of a writer. Winning an award in a small writers’ conference is worth something to our creative souls, regardless of whether it ever shows up on a resume or in ad copy.

Now for my experience with contests. I entered several manuscripts over the years in the ACFW First Impressions and Genesis contests. Each gave me valuable feedback on the manuscripts. On my third attempt, I was thrilled to become a finalist in the Genesis contest (mystery category). Shortly after that, I was offered a publishing contract for the manuscript, which became my first novel, Death and a Crocodile.

At my publisher’s suggestion, I entered the book in several contests, and was named a finalist in several of them. I cannot tell you how much it means to a beginning, completely unknown author, to be able to say that my book won an award. It was a validation of both the book and of me, and if gave me a much-needed boost of confidence to promote my book to bookstore owners and others.

Finally, it feels really good to be able to write “award-winning author” and “award-winning book”!

For advice on choosing and winning writing contests, I suggest you check out this Serious Writer Academy class.

Lisa E Betz

An engineer-turned-mystery-writer, Lisa E. Betz infuses her novels with authentic characters who thrive on solving tricky problems. Her debut novel, Death and a Crocodile, won several awards, including Golden Scroll Novel of the Year (2021). Her second novel, Fountains and Secrets released January 2022, from Redemption Press.

Lisa combines her love of research with her quirky imagination to bring the world of the early church to life. She and her husband reside outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Scallywag, their rambunctious cat—the inspiration for Nemesis, resident mischief maker in the Livia Aemilia Mysteries. Lisa sorts book donations at the library, directs church dramas, eats too much chocolate, and experiments with ancient Roman recipes.

In addition to writing novels, Lisa blogs about living with authenticity and purpose. Visit her website: Quietly Unconventional. Or visit her social media: Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Goodreads.

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The Intentional Writer

10 Ways to Help Fellow Writers (Without Spending Money)

The intentional writer

When it comes to marketing, most of us can use all the help we can get. Savvy authors know that working together benefits everyone. So it’s a good practice to help other writers whenever possible. That way, when you need a boost you can ask for support without feeling selfish.

And besides, when we support other authors, we’re helping them spread their message to the world.

Why not start this year spreading kindness and support to other authors? Here are a few quick and easy ideas that won’t cost you a cent.

Ten simple things you can do to help other authors

Social Media

  • Aid their platform by following them on social media. Like their Facebook author page, follow their Instagram or Twitter feeds, etc.
  • Interact with other authors on social media. Comment, like, and respond to questions and surveys.
  • Share their giveaways and special news. Your friends like free books, too, so share or retweet author giveaways on your accounts.
  • Create a meme featuring a favorite quote from a book and post it on your social media. Make sure you include your fellow author’s name and the book you took the quote from. That way, others who like the quote can look into the book.

Goodreads

  • Whenever you take an action on Goodreads, all your friends and followers get a notice. This means every book you review or add to your Want to Read shelf shows up in the feed of your friends, too. We can use this feature intentionally to promote our own books, and the books of others. NOTE: Check your feed settings to make sure your actions are being shared. Go to Account Settings and find the Feeds tab. Make sure the checkboxes are checked in order for your actions to be shared with friends.
  • Add the books of fellow authors to your Want to Read shelf. (Even if you never get around to reading them, you’ve helped those authors by showing your friend the book is worth reading.)
  • Look at reviews posted for another author’s books. Find one that is both positive and informative and Like it or or comment on it. Doing this will spread that positive review to your friends.

Other actions

  • Download free e-books. When a fellow author runs a special, download their e-book even if you never plan on reading it. By downloading the book you help their sales numbers. If it’s free, you’re not “wasting” money. And who knows, you might try it and find you like it after all. (This does not apply to Kindle Unlimited books, where Amazon credits authors by number of pages read.)
  • Leave positive reviews. When you read a book by a fellow author, make the effort to leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, B&N, or anywhere else you buy or discover books.
  • Mention a fellow author’s book in your blog or author newsletter. If you read a book your audience might like, share that recommendation with them. It serves your audience and supports a fellow writer at the same time.

And a few Don’ts

  • Don’t post a review on a site you never use. Potential buyers are suspicious of a review when it’s the only item a reviewer has posted.
  • Don’t post a glowing review that’s full of generic praise but doesn’t say anything helpful about the book. Give potential buyers specific reasons why you liked the book.
  • Don’t post reviews that mislead potential buyers. You won’t help the author by attracting the wrong target audience, so be clear about what kind of book it is and who might enjoy it.

We’re all on the same team here. When we support other authors, we’re helping them spread their version of God’s message to the world.

Do you have other simple ways to support other writers? I’d love to hear about them.

Lisa E. Betz worked as an engineer, substitute teacher, and play director before becoming an award-winning mystery writer. She brings her analytical mind, quirky humor, and positive outlook to all she writes. She draws inspiration from thirty-five years of leading Bible studies to create entertaining mysteries set in the world of the early church, and then she fills that world with eccentric characters, independent females, and an occasional sausage-snatching cat. Her first novel, Death and a Crocodile, releases February 9.

In addition to writing novels, Lisa blogs about living with authenticity and purpose. Visit her at www.lisaebetz.com. Facebook LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz Intentional Living.

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The Intentional Writer

Be a Generous Writer

The intentional writer

The law of prosperity is generosity. If you want more, give more.”

Bob Proctor

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

2 Corinthians 9:6

One of the best ways writers can grow their platform and their influence it to be consistently and intentionally generous. Generosity is strategic: it fosters cooperation, strengthens connection, and develops trust. Generosity is also good for us, because helping others boosts our happiness and enables us to make a difference. Here are some ways you can be generous in your writing life.

Be generous with your content

  • Offer free materials on your website.
  • Include some freebies that come with no strings attached.
  • Give away free copies of your books whenever it makes sense
  • Share blog content on social media. Don’t just advertise your blog posts, but share a point of two of your content with each pin, tweet, or post.

Be generous with your time and expertise

  • Give free advice to those who ask. Even if you sometimes are paid to teach or edit, be willing to answer short questions or follow up questions without charge.
  • Volunteer to be a judge for a writing contest. You don’t need to be an expert to help with some contests. Large organizations like ACFW are always looking for judges to read manuscripts in the First Impressions, and Genesis contests. They also need readers to rate published books in the Carol Awards
  • Volunteer to give a talk at a local group, book club, or library that doesn’t have the funds to pay for it.
  • Offer a free webinar or ebook about the craft or business of writing.

Be generous in supporting other artists

  • Leave positive reviews
  • Purchase their products
  • Share their work within your network
  • Recommend other artists on your social media and pass on their special offers
  • Attend the venues where artists share their work: conferences, workshops, concerts, art shows.

Be generous with encouragement

  • To those who are learning: This is your chance to pay it forward by passing on the nurture and encouragement other writers have poured into you.
  • To your peers: Think of them as teammates not competitors. We’re all more likely to succeed if we work together.
  • To your mentors and role models: Even those who seem to have succeeded need encouragement.
  • To your audience: What message do you give your readers? Are your words filled with hope, even if your topic is heavy?

Be generous with those outside the writing world

  • Give your time and resources to organizations that matter to you.
  • Use your writing talents to benefit groups and individuals.
  • Don’t resent the time you devote to the important people God brings into your life. Who knows when an experience will inspire a fantastic story idea or lead you to the the answer you need to get out of the corner you wrote yourself into.

Final thoughts

  • Make sure what you give is appropriate and useful to the recipients.
  • Make sure what you give fits with your brand and values.
  • Accept thanks with humble grace.

How can you be intentionally generous this week?

What is one act of generosity that significantly impacted your life?

Award-winning writer Lisa E. Betz believes that everyone has a unique story to tell the world. She loves inspiring fellow writers to be more intentional about developing their craft and courageous in sharing their words. Lisa shares her words through speaking, leading Bible studies, writing historical mysteries, and blogging about living intentionally.

You can find her on Facebook LisaEBetzWriter Twitter @LisaEBetz and Pinterest Lisa E Betz Intentional Living.