An Author's "In-Between" Time (and Book Giveaway!)

         My initial idea was to tell how a typical author spends their time between books, their "down time."

But when I thought about it, the reality of what most authors do to maintain a career in publishing ruled out all of the following periods:  

 

 

a.  After the first draft is done 

This isn't down time, though a short celebration is in order.  Now it's time to edit and polish, which is often harder than writing the first draft.  

b. After you edit and polish--the book's ready for the world!

This isn't down time unless the book's already contracted and you can send it to your editor. (The work resumes when galleys arrive, but by this stage there isn't usually much to do on the text.)

If it's not under contract, it's time to write a proposal for your agent, or hunt for a publisher on your own--or Indie publish, which opens another can of worms!   

 

c. After you send it with a proposal to your agent  

Not down time because you're either working on marketing materials, interviews, media contacts, your website or newsletter, or returning to an incomplete manuscript and/or starting a new one.

d. After you Indie-publish 

Don't stop now, because much of the work has just begun. Unlike "Field of Dreams" it doesn't work to think, If I write it, readers will come. Un-uh. Indie publishers have many hats to wear, and marketing is a big one. 

e. d. After a good sales uptick   

You'd think that would be a good time to take a break and indulge in some "real" down time, right? Experts say the opposite is true. To stay on a readers' radar, you need to put out more books! Fast! 

Question: IS there such a thing as downtime for today's author?

In the past, writers wrote. Publishers marketed and sold books. Today, writers are expected to do it all, no matter who publishes the book. Yes, a big publisher will ease the burden, and prior success paves the way for easier marketing with each new book. But every author I know spends time on marketing and promotion, whether they've got a big name publisher or Indie publish.    

   

Note: This is why you can be eternally beloved by an author simply by taking a few minutes to post a good review of their book on Amazon or GoodReads or even Facebook. We need and appreciate the help in spreading the word!

So what is down time for me?
Like any professional in any field, I take breaks often. I hope you do, too. Productivity experts say output and quality of output increase when people are able to take breaks from their work. 

LET'S TALK DOWNTIME

I have favorite ways of relaxing and I'm sure you do, too. (Leave a comment below to tell us what yours are--you'll be automatically entered in the giveaway.) I have more, but here are my top three guilty pleasures. 

a. Watch a period flick. I love these! Recently I watched, "Ekaterina," a Russian series subtitled in English about Catherine the Great's rise to power. Really well done.

b.  Watch a Mets game. I'm a former New Yorker and a long-ago pitcher for Girls' Little League! I love baseball. My husband buys me MLB.tv for my birthday in March so I can watch the season's games. Sometimes I think I'd be better off not watching, because
              a. I could be writing!
              b. Though I'm usually not loud or demonstrative, put me in front of  a Mets game and I'm a different person. (Mike says he knows how the Mets are doing from the other side of the house. What can I say? You can take the girl out of New York, but....)

c. Read a great book.
Non-fiction doesn't count! Real down time requires fun reading. For instance, I picked up a new copy of Northanger Abbey at Half-Price books for a few bucks and read it (for the third time) just this week.  It's my favorite Austen novel. Of course, when I read Pride and Prejudice, that's my favorite. Mansfield Park is a favorite too. The fact is, whichever book of Jane's I'm reading is my FAVORITE!

 

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN. 

Leave a comment telling your favorite way to relax and you'll be entered in the giveaway!   

 

GIVEAWAY: 
A copy of any of my books * (Not the trilogy, but a single book from one of them)

And a  set of lovely French-Toile scented drawer liners

*Print copies to US residents only,  E-books everywhere else. \

So--what's your favorite way to spend "down time?" Even if you have to steal away to get it?

Leave a comment to enter,and CONTACT EMAIL so I can notify you if you win. 

Drawing ends on 9-28.   

The Mad, Mad, World Giveaway Winner!

Much thanks to all of you for your marvelous comments in this giveaway--such fun!

Using random.org, the winner drawn is CAT WILKE. 

Congratulations, Cat!

Please choose a book from my regency series:  

Stay tuned next week as I share "The Metamorphosis of a Novel" and run another giveaway.

I'll be showing the various editions of my first novel, telling a little "behind the scenes" info. about each one. I'll hold another drawing for a free book. 

In the meantime, if you haven't seen the hilarious comments from the original post, take a look. (It will give you a chuckle or two.)

See you soon!

Linore
http://www.LinoreBurkard.com
http://www.LRBurkard.com

The Mad, Mad World of Authors and Book Giveaway

READ THE POST TO ENTER THE BOOK DRAWING!

Note: I'm back to blogging. I'll still send out newsletters with all the varied content you've come to expect, but I can link to articles here and write more for those who care to read it.

Such as this...

The Mad, Mad, World of Authors

I was on the phone with a dear author friend of mine--who will remain nameless because of what I'm about to share. She's multi-published, and, like me, has a zillion ideas more than she'll ever be able to write. We can talk for hours about all the writing we're doing, would like to do, and hope to do--as well as other creative projects.

During our last call, she had me laughing silly when she shared that one day she'd been thinking about one of her books and suddenly had a brain freeze. She couldn't remember the title. This was a book SHE WROTE. It was published by a small press and has been out for years--but she couldn't recall the exact title.

I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes--mostly because it struck a chord. I should explain that we authors like to refer to our books in shorthand. For instance, Before the Season Ends, (my newest re-release) is simply B.T.S.E. to me. The sequel, The House in Grosvenor Square, is THIGS. So my friend could only remember the acronym of her book.

When I recently revisited my earlier books to edit them for new editions, I was delighted by some of my own writing as if reading it for the first time. Now--authors grow and improve in their craft, just like people in other fields. So I also saw things that did not delight me--which is why I can say the series has been "newly edited." But the fact remains that we often forget our own words.

Sometimes even our book titles.

Not Just Books

I once had to leave a cart full of groceries at the store because back then I used a debit card and suddenly could not remember my PIN number. I drove to the bank, and there discovered--horrors--I still needed that same PIN number to withdraw cash. And my brain freeze hadn't cleared yet. In the end, I had to go into the bank to withdraw cash and then return to the store to check out our groceries.

You can see why I laughed so hard when my friend couldn't remember her book title. I can relate all too well.

Book Giveaway

You don't need to be an author to have the occasional brain freeze. When was the last time it happened to you? Was it your phone number, your son's birthday, or maybe even the title of a book you've written? Share your answer in the comments and I'll draw one winner to get a copy of the just-released new edition of Before the Season Ends, or, The House in Grosvenor Square, both  heartwarming romances. (Enter the drawing even if you've read the old editions. You'll enjoy the new ones even more.)

Leave a comment to enter the drawing for a free copy!

PS: Don't forget to leave your contact info so I can notify you if you win! Leave email addresses like this: (for example) YourName (at) yourserver (dot) com. --so internet trolls can't glean your info.


DO YOU GET MY NEWSLETTER? If not, sign up here: http://www.LinoreBurkard.com

Just A Note (and Drawing Winner Announced!)

First: Thank You and WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!

My next newsletter isn't ready yet but I wanted to announce the drawing winner of the Christmas Tour and Giveaway without making everyone wait to find out who won.

Thank you to everyone who entered the drawing! I loved hearing how others enjoy Christmas as much as I do.


The winner of a free copy of one of my books is: CARYL KANE

Congratulations, Caryl! You didn't leave your email, so please email me so we can coordinate getting your book to you.
Linore (at) LinoreBurkard (dot) com.

I'll have it in the next newsletter and hope to hear back from you, either by your seeing it here or in the newsletter.

Welcome to 2017

It's been 2017 for six days by the time you see this and it's already beginning to feel like old news.

I don't know about you, but I am energized at the start of a new year, and I write out my goals for the coming 12 months with high hopes and optimism. I take them before the Lord and ask Him to winnow out the time-wasters, the distractions, the unimportant. Then I write down the ones that won't go away, not only the ones that feel most urgent, but the ones that make me stretch, challenge my abilities and maybe even my faith.

Do You Write Your Goals?

According to Mike Hyatt, there are five important reasons why you should. He says writing them down forces us to crystallize what we want, clarifying vague longings and wishes into concrete goals that can be reached.  

Writing goals provides motivation, and once you begin to meet those goals, new opportunities open up. Finally, writing goals helps you overcome resistance and gives you legitimate cause to celebrate when you reach them.

Still Need Encouragement?

There are plenty of studies that show the efficacy of writing goals. Putting them on paper just seems to reinforce them, helping us move closer to achieving them.

But is it enough?

According to Dr. David Hamilton, writing them is good--but writing them, thinking about them, adding concrete action steps and then having a friend to answer to for your progress is the BEST way to achieve goals. People who wrote their goals down and took all the extra steps achieved more of their goals than people who merely wrote them down.  

Where Are You in the Continuum?

I'm really good, as I said above, at writing my goals. I also write down action steps, and concrete ways to work towards achieving them. But I have yet to get a friend involved at the level of keeping me accountable. Maybe I'll do that this year. What about you? What's your biggest goal for 2017? Have you written it down?