Volume Two, Edition One

October 2006

The Tips & Tricks Page

On this page you will find helpful advice for authors and editors written by those best suited to advise you on a range of issues.  Each month a different topic will be covered, so check back here if you want some tips.

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Writer Tips...Story Promotion

 

“The only thing worse than everyone talking about you,” the old aphorism goes, “is no one talking about you.”  This is especially true if you’re an author and the discussions they aren't having regard your latest story.  But just what can you do to generate more interest in your work, increase your readership and garner the precious gem of feedback?

What follows are a few very useful strategies and tips which may be used not only by authors, but even by their editors and loyal fans.  Keep in mind that many of these tips will be useful not just to a new or less well-known author, but even to an experienced veteran.

Story Summaries

It is essential for the author to not only provide a brief “teaser” at the beginning of their stories, but to make this summary well-written, descriptive, and attention-grabbing.

Between hosted and shared hosted author pages, eFiction and the Story Archive there are literally hundreds of stories accessible through Gay Authors.  If you were visiting the site for the first time, how would you decide which story to read?  Think about it this way - when you're browsing through the shelves of a bookstore, how do you decide which book to buy?  A flashy cover and an interesting title will take you only so far - if you've never heard of the author before then most likely it's the story summary on the back cover that will ultimately persuade you.

A story summary is a vital tool for bringing in new readers.  It is your chance to market your story before the reader even looks at the first chapter, a way to catch their interest by summarising what the story is about.  You need to sell it to them, give them a reason to click that link and start reading.  A well-written story summary will tell a reader what they can expect from the story, get them interested in the plot and characters and stand out from the myriad of other stories at Gay Authors.

When you're writing a story summary, think about what the story is about, where you're going with it, what part of it is really intended to grab a reader's attention.  If you're writing a story about coming out, build some suspense into the summary by mentioning those people who might not react well.  If you're writing about a relationship, generate interest by suggesting some of the difficulties a couple might face.  Tell a reader why your story is unique and why they should spend time reading it.  Once it's written, give it to your editor, to your beta readers, even to random volunteers and get their opinions.  Spend more than a couple of minutes working on it and the rewards will be well worth the effort.

Once these summaries are complete you can add them to your hosted or shared hosted pages or alternatively put them in the story description section of your eFiction submissions.  You may also consider placing them in your initial discussion thread about the story.

Feedback Buttons

The tech support team is willing to work with the hosted and shared hosted authors to get feedback buttons inserted at the end of their chapters.  These feedback buttons will be eye-catching and link directly to the author’s forum.

The reason these feedback buttons are such a powerful tool is because they catch the reader’s attention and redirect them to the forums right when they’ve just finished reading the most recent chapter and everything is still fresh on their minds.  Not only do these buttons work as well-placed reminders to your readers, but they also make things easier for your readers.  Not everyone is comfortable navigating the boards, but these handy buttons make the process much simpler and friendlier.

For more information about how to include feedback buttons on your pages contact a member of the Tech Support Team (you may already have one with whom you normally work) and let them know what you want.

URL’s for eFiction Authors

For eFiction writers we suggest including a request for feedback at the end of your chapters and inserting a URL.  Unfortunately the eFiction software doesn’t support clickable links; however, the readers can copy and paste the links which should them take them directly to the eFiction forum, or even better directly to the discussion thread.  These URLs work on exactly the same principle as the feedback buttons and they are made more effective by including a request for feedback.

Signature Links

All GA members have a “signature” though if you’ve never used yours it will be blank.  Your signature appears at the end of all of your posts and can contain any (appropriate) information as well as links.  By placing a link to your story, as well as a brief description of it, in your signature you can avail yourself of one of the easiest, most visible, and most effective means of story promotion out there.

In order to create these links and descriptions simply click “my controls” (located at the top of the page), then scroll down to the “Personal Profile” section on the left-hand side menu (it’s the fourth major section).  Then select “Edit signature” (it should be your second option in that section).  Next it’ll bring up a box similar to the ones you would normally type in to post something in the forums.  Simply type up your description and insert your link.  Remember to use the “link button” which is located near the large “A” which controls colour on your posting tool bar (same line as bold and italics), this button resembles a globe with a chain link in front of it.  Remember too that the flashier and more eye appealing the link and description are the more people will notice it and click it.  So be creative with the fonts, colour, sizes, and other effects.

The last thing to keep in mind is that visibility for this highly useful resource is optimized by active forum participation (the more places you post the more people who will see your signature) so go ahead and post in other authors’ forums and threads too.  This is also a “common courtesy” among authors and a great way to expose each other’s fans to the other’s work.

Starting Threads

It’s very helpful for the author, editor, or serious fan to start the threads for new stories/chapters as soon as possible.  Newer members, or members who aren’t as familiar with the author and his or her work, may be hesitant to do this on their own.  By starting the threads yourself as soon as you can you’re creating a climate that says “It’s okay to post your thoughts” you’re also quite simply providing them a place in which to do it.

Response to Feedback

Response to feedback is perhaps the single most effective way that authors let their readers know that their feedback is appreciated.  It’s also an extremely helpful method for developing a large and loyal fan base.  By responding to feedback you’re letting the readers know that their opinions and perceptions matter, that they’re being taken seriously, and that you are someone who can be approached and talked to in general.  This will make them want read more and continue the interaction.

Responding to feedback will include such things as staying active in your own forum/discussion threads, answering PMs and Emails, and, if applicable, responding to reviews left in eFiction.  A good response will likely include a general thanks for the feedback itself and will also touch on several of the key points which the fan expressed.  Also, even in cases such as forum posts, consider sending thank you PMs to the people who leave particularly useful, thought-provoking critiques; these critiques in themselves may help to maintain or increase interest in your work so by sending out a quick “thanks” you let the loyal fans know that their efforts are valued and appreciated.

Starting Polls

Starting polls in the discussion forums is a fun, and easy way for the author to interact with their fans.  An anonymous response in a poll is not nearly as intimidating to a new fan or quiet lurker as making a visible post in the forum; however, the feedback remains valuable and just seeing the number of votes may give an author a little confidence boost.

Also, while anonymous votes should be welcome, encouraging the voters to leave feedback explaining the rationale behind their vote can also be hugely effective in creating “buzz” about your story.  Polls also provide one of the simplest, most straightforward ways to get an accurate assessment of what people think or want.

So there you have it, a short list ideas and marketing strategies.  Remember though that no amout of "stock" advice can replace the benefits which can be yielded by an author who truly knows and understands his story and as such is able to actively employ unique, and creative methods of raising awareness of it.  This is your story; what can you do to promote it?

For further tips or if you'd like to discuss some of your own ideas please PM AFriendlyFace.

AFriendlyFace (Kevin)

Editing Tips...Getting Started

 

For every seasoned editor at Gay Authors, there are at least two more members interested in volunteering their time to edit for an author.  Some keep quiet about it, certain that they don't have the skills or confidence to do the job.  Others volunteer and quickly find that the process is a daunting one.

All too often there are posts in the Editor's Corner from members who have volunteered to edit, who have received a chapter from their author and don't have the first clue where to begin.  They find themselves staring at pages of text with no clue what they need to do to effectively edit the story in front of them.

This is the first in a series of articles designed to help both new and experienced editors develop their skills.  The series will look at all aspects of editing, beginning...well, at the beginning.

Before the editing process even begins, the first thing you need to do is talk to your author about their expectations.  The first thing you need to ask is where your author thinks they need the most help.  Some will say that spelling and grammar are their weakest areas.  Others will say they have trouble with story flow and continuity.  Listen to them carefully, take into account everything the have to say and then, when their done, forget about it.

Yep, you heard me - forget about it.  I'm both an author and an editor and I can assure you that authors are the worst judges of their own work.  Talking to them about their needs will help you build up a rapport with them, but if you're going to be an effective editor then you need to be able to look at all the story elements, not just those your author thinks need examining.

The next step is to discuss with your author the format they'd like the editing to take.  Really there are three formats for editing - simply making the changes to the document and sending it back, using the MS Word Track Changes feature (or equivalent) to illustrate the changes you're proposing or using a separate document to note changes that are required.

Always try to encourage your author to use one of the two latter options rather than just expecting you to make changes.  The main reason for this is that you might change something that shouldn't be changed, a "mistake" that is intentional, or you may misinterpret what the author is trying to say and end up giving a sentence, or paragraph, a completely different meaning.  There is also the fact that any good editor will try to help their author improve their skills and that means giving them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes.

Once the ground rules have been established and you know what your author is expecting of you, it's time to get working on their latest chapter or story.  The individual elements of this, such as spelling, grammar, punctuation and the like, will be examined in later articles, but where do you begin?  What do you look at first?

The fact is, every editor will eventually develop their own style and processes, but a structured approach to editing is always the best way.  Whenever I'm editing, the first thing I do is read the text from start to finish, ignoring any spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and any of the other technical elements.  I choose to look at the story flow to see if there are any confusing sections, plot conflicts or other issues that would distract me as a reader first.  I do this because looking for the technical problems can be tedious and by the time I'm finished I don't have the same appreciation for the story and thus risk missing story elements on a second read.

After I've looked at continuity and flow, I go back and look for technical errors.  The first thing I use is the spelling/grammar checker in MS Word.  I set it to check the errors in the story, but don't always trust it to be correct, particularly when it comes to grammar.  After the spellchecker has done its job I read through the story, looking at it a paragraph at a time, checking first that there are no spelling, punctuation or grammatical errors and then reading each sentence to look for excessive wordiness - looking to see if what an author has said in twenty words can be said in ten and checking that words are not repeated too much within sentences.

The final thing I do is fact-checking. I go through the story looking for things like a person's hair colour, name, a description of a room or building and then cross reference against mentions of the same person/feature from earlier in the story.

Once this process is complete I set the story aside for a while and then go back to it the following day, reading it through again with the corrections I've made to see if there's anything I've missed.

Of course, this is just how I do it.  There really is no right or wrong way to edit, provided you check all the elements and produce something that both you and your author are happy with.

That's all for this edition, but watch out in the next newsletter for more detailed editing tips and in the meantime, if you have any questions, visit the Editor's Corner and see what advice others can offer you.

RHawes16