The rise of AI-generated books is sparking concern among many. We all know the book market is huge, yet the speed at which new works are being added prompted Amazon to place a ‘3 books per day’ upload limit. I think we all agree that’s more than a little worrying.

It’s frustrating, too. Vying for a reader’s attention has always been challenging, but this new competition has some authors fearing it will soon become too hard (and expensive) to grab the reader’s attention. Dread rises in the form of a question: in this widening sea of books, what are my chances of being found and read?

It’s easy to give over to anger and depression when things change, especially when it feels unfair and unjust. But as authors have always done, we must use our emotions to fuel transformation.

The board has changed. It’s time to change with it.

We’ve weathered disruptions in the book industry before, and while AI is reshaping all industries, as people, one of our biggest strengths is our ability to adapt. Marketing will become more challenging for authors, but we can use our human edge to come out on top. It’s time for us to push ourselves and leverage our strengths, showing readers we have much more to offer them than machines.

Let’s talk about how we do it.

1. Write an amazing book.

Seems sort of obvious, right? Sure, but the real message here is that AI books will only get better in time, so we must continue widening the gap. Readers will have many choices on what to read so our books should be exceptional. To date, many authors have focused on volume to make a living, but moving forward, writing better books will become as important (if not more).

Amazing books in the age of AI should contain something else, too: emotion, insight, and depth rooted in human experience. This is something that machines can’t replicate (although they will try). As humans, we understand how isolating life can be when we experience certain things that stir deep emotions, struggles, insecurities, and vulnerabilities. Who better than us to create authentic characters that our readers can truly relate to and connect with? (Read: How to Leverage Humanity in Stories to Outshine AI.)

2. Embrace authenticity, building trust and connection.

AI isn’t only impacting the book industry–it’s everywhere, with readers being as exposed to it as us. AI curates searches at Google, chatbots claim the bottom right corner of every website. Meta AI bots piss everyone off with their uncanny ability to ignore hate speech but flag that cute picture of someone’s cat as harmful and inappropriate.

Fake social profiles. AI-generated images everywhere.
Every third ad is a new AI tool or service.

It’s the gold rush of AI, but guess what follows? Saturation. People get sick of all things manufactured, simulated, and fake. It’s early still, but a looming saturation is coming. Authors should be ready because, in an increasingly artificial world, people will crave one thing above all else: Authenticity. They will be drawn to human presences, voices, and interactions.

This is an incredible opportunity for authors. By recognizing the universal need for authenticity and connection, they can draw their potential readers in by being someone who shares their human side!

Go deeper with your interactions with readers. Think about points of common ground: What experiences do you and your readers share? Which of your thoughts and perceptions will resonate, making them feel seen and heard? How can you share anecdotes, ideas, sparks of humor, and bits of your personal life alongside discussions about your creative work? What topics and themes in your book suggest areas of common interest? Start some conversations.

It might take practice, but being open and authentic can turn readers into lifelong fans…of you. These relationships are incredible–knowing people are in our corner sustains us when life gets hard. Too, not only will devout readers look forward to the next book, but they’ll want others to discover your books, too.

3. Create a “clubhouse” for your readers.

Adding to the point above, I have always believed marketing is about relationships, not sales. We build strong relationships by caring about others, making them feel valued, and giving them something they need. When this is done right, sales follow naturally.

It’s great to use social media as a way to find potential readers and connect with them, but trying to be everywhere at once is overwhelming. People can become fatigued by social media too. This is why thinking about creating a meeting spot away from the noise of the online world can be a great way to forge meaningful bonds with readers.

Your “clubhouse” can be anything that works for you: an online community or group, a personal newsletter or Substack, a private forum attached to your site, etc. Whatever your clubhouse looks like, don’t bombard folks with promotion. These people aren’t dollar signs and trust me, AI will be targeting them everywhere, trying to sell, sell, sell. So be different. Focus on the relationship: share content they’ll like, ask and answer questions. If you’re communicating through a newsletter, be the person they are always happy to hear from! Your clubhouse should make people feel seen, cared about, and valued.

4. Think we, not me.

As the fight over a reader’s attention heats up even further, we may think we need to isolate ourselves from other authors because they are our competition. Not so. Human authors are our allies.

No matter how well you write or how big your audience is, you only have a sliver of the potential reading audience. Authors with similar books also have loyal readers, and many are different from your own. Collaborating with authors who write similar, high-quality books can be a win for you both as you’ll each reach new people.

Collaboration is about more than sharing audiences—it’s about creating a sense of camaraderie. Readers will notice and appreciate authors who prioritize relationships over sales pitches. Too, every author has unique experiences, ideas, knowledge, and connections. Joining forces with other authors and sharing what you each know means less trial and error.

5. Educate yourself and watch for scams.

Whenever there’s a disruption, people look for opportunities to monetize whatever has changed. Part of thriving as an author will be staying informed and watching for profiteers selling “easy solutions.”

Self-publishing created a ramp-up in vanity presses, predatory promotional and editing services, and low-skill freelancers looking to bleed authors of their cash. This era of AI will be the same.

If you need AI solutions for marketing, research before investing in courses, ad services, or tools. Look to trusted industry leaders like Jane Friedman, David Gaughran, or the Alliance of Independent Authors for guidance. Don’t fall for pressure tactics, FOMO, or fear-based marketing. And remember, if someone is selling something that seems too good to be true, it probably is.

One area to be especially cautious of is Ads. As the book market becomes increasingly huge, pay-to-play platforms (Meta, Amazon, etc.) are the real winners as people run ads (or more ads) to gain visibility. Likely we’ll see a rise in ‘Ad experts’ pitching their company to run your ads or use their AI tools and platform solutions. Some may be a good investment. Others will drain your pockets. Investigate and talk to other authors. Make sure the ROI is clear.

6. Decide how (and if) you’ll use AI as an author.

AI is a threat and a tool. Creatives (and folks in other industries who had their content scraped without content) are rightfully upset about AI. But it’s here to stay so we will all need to eventually decide if (and how) we’ll use it. This is a moral question and a practical one.

You may decide that while you’re morally opposed to using it to write, you use AI solutions to help you with other tasks–researching, marketing, time management, whatever. Or you are a firm no. But whether you use it or not, it’s important to understand how others are incorporating it, and the impacts this may have on our business.

The Key to Thriving:
Using Your Humanity

AI may be here to stay, but so are authors. We can’t control AI’s disruption over our industry, only how we respond. By focusing on what makes us uniquely human, we can create stories that resonate far more deeply than AI-generated books. Best of all, by simply being ourselves, we can forge genuine connections with readers and fulfill a universal longing for authenticity—an ironic consequence of the rise of AI.

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post How Authors Thrive in a World of AI-Generated Books appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

AI is reshaping the book industry, and writers are polarized; some have integrated AI into their writing process while others refuse to. No matter which camp you align with I’m sure you share a growing concern: creatives are not the only ones publishing books. Thanks to AI tools, anyone with a keyboard can slap something together (sometimes ripping off the original), leading to a surge of AI-generated books.

Oh, but the books are bad. They don’t matter.

Are they all bad? And even if they are, will they remain that way? The hard reality is that it is the nature of AI to improve and refine, and so improve and refine it will. In the meantime, quality books become harder to find because this AI side hustle is picking up steam. Writers are beginning to worry about having to compete with AI-generated books.

So, is the board set against us–should we give up writing? Heck no! Instead, we write better books by leaning into our strengths and harnessing the one thing AI can’t compete with: being human. Here’s how.

1: Write about human experiences

AI absorbs knowledge about people and learns how to write scenes by training itself on works of fiction. But when it comes to the experience of being human, AI can only mimic. So, put your innate understanding of humanity onto the page. Let your own life experiences guide you in showing the rawness of vulnerability, the subtleties of emotion, and the profound depth of human needs in your characters. Be unafraid to go deep inside yourself. What questions keep you up at night? What thoughts and worries about the world weigh you down? Chances are, your readers have similar questions, so make them feel seen by weaving these into your story.

Consider the duality of life. On the surface, people present an ‘everyday’ version of themselves—their jobs, choices, routines, and social interactions. Yet beneath lies a more complex and private being, one who wrestles with questions of identity, purpose, and belonging. Write characters with this same hidden self, complete with unique doubts, fears, and unspoken dreams. Readers will feel drawn to them, and relate because this deeper, human side mirrors their own.

Another reason to double down on human elements in stories? As customer service bots, AI social profiles, generated videos, news, etc. become commonplace, the world starts to feel artificial. People will crave authenticity and you can give it to them.

2: Share your worldview, culture, identity, and lived truth

You are the subject matter expert in your lived experience, not AI, so consider how you can bring something special to a story. Whether it’s a window into your culture or religion, a worldview based on experiences or identity, or something else like a personal hardship, upbringing, or belief, readers recognize the authority behind a true-to-life portrayal.

AI can write generically about these things using information within its datasets, but only humans can capture a lived truth. So write characters and situations that are echoes of your own life. Bring readers in close so they experience things that come from first-hand knowledge.

3: Master your craft in areas best suited to showcase human elements

A misconception (long before AI) among some novice writers was that they didn’t need to learn how to write well because that was an editor’s job. This led to a painful lesson when reputable editors wouldn’t touch their manuscripts or the cost to do so was too high, causing them to seek cheaper options or a vanity press. Either way, the writer ended up with a poor-quality book.

Thankfully most writers understand that writing well means putting in the work. But some do treat AI like it’s a magic genie, and this laziness affects the quality of their stories. So keep learning your craft, especially in areas that help you showcase human elements readers are hardwired to connect to. For example:

1) Voice. Learn all there is to know about developing your author voice and creating authentic voices for your characters. Write characters who reveal their individuality through observations, actions, and decisions. This is where your story can stand out.

2) Description (especially the art of show, not tell). Being able to describe sensory details, use metaphor, symbolism, etc. to imply something deeper, and bring a character’s authentic emotions to the surface will draw readers in and convey authenticity in a way AI writing cannot.

3) Inner Conflict. A character’s personal struggles illustrate the complexity of being human in a powerful way. Sure, AI can rehash common problems, but only humans can draw from their experiences to create relatable internal battles. Learning how to write about internal conflict to accurately show a character’s clash of fears, desires, needs, duties, and beliefs is well worth the investment.

4) Character Arc. Study character arc and what it will specifically look like for a character. What personal epiphanies will help them move past old hurts and break free of fear? How have they been viewing life and themselves wrong? How must they change and grow to achieve a happier, more fulfilling life? What do the steps of self-examination, personal realizations, and renewed self-belief look like for them?

It may seem like a lot of questions, but the answers give you the knowledge you need to write an authentic journey of highs and lows that readers will connect to. Alternatively, you should know what failure, unfulfillment, and unhappiness will look like for a character because people never make good decisions all the time. Fear and making mistakes can chain them to failure, and if they can’t break free of it, you need to be able to show that, too.

5) Psychology. It may not seem like a traditional writing element, but it is. The more you understand how people think, feel, and behave and why, two incredible things happen. First, you’ll create more complex, authentic characters whose actions, choices, and decisions line up with who they are. Second, you’ll see how to weave elements about the character’s life, journey, and inner struggles in a way that resonates, encouraging readers to connect more deeply with the characters and your story.  

If you’ve read any books in our Writers Helping Writers Thesaurus series, you know how much Becca and I focus on psychology and human emotion. This is why. AI will apply psychology too, but not like you and me because it only has clinical knowledge, not personal experience. And that makes a big difference!

4: Shake it up and experiment

AI likes to draw from character tropes, predictable plots, devices, and story patterns, so color outside the lines! Blend genres and story elements. Shatter stereotypes and twist tropes. Be original and bold as you write, and use craft to serve your vision of the story.

5: Embrace one of your greatest human strengths: adaptability

We enter this career path knowing it won’t be easy. But like our characters, we must find a way forward when things get hard. AI-generated books are causing problems for us, yes, but as they get better, so will we. Learning our craft and leveraging our human knowledge and experiences will help us distance ourselves from the generic stories others churn out.

Worried about the future of writing?

Let that go. You can’t control how AI is used but you can adapt how you write to compete with AI-generated books.

Include human elements. Use your story as a mirror to reflect the reader’s hidden self–their hopes and dreams, perspectives and questions. Leverage your humanity to outshine AI!

Remember, readers love to read and great stories will always be in demand!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post How to Leverage Humanity to Outshine AI-Generated Books appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Welcome to 2025…and say hello to a brand new Writers Helping Writers® bookstore!

Like many other authors, Becca and I have switched to a Shopify storefront so we can provide a better experience for everyone wanting to buy direct.

We’re excited about this upgraded storefront, both for the flexibility to eventually branch out to offer things beyond books –workshops, on-demand webinars, packets, etc.– and the fact that it is a vast improvement over the system we’ve had to use to date.

But first, what does “Buy Direct” mean?

Buying direct means instead of purchasing a book from an etailer like Amazon, Kobo, or Apple (who take a big chunk of each sale) you buy from the author’s website. This helps the author because when more book revenue lands in their pocket, they’re closer to making a livable wage. And when they do, it gives them the freedom to write more books, offer discounts, and more. So buying direct is a win-win for the author and readers.

But buying direct also has other benefits, like…

Buying Direct can better protect your books

A problem with buying a digital copy from someone like Amazon is they have control over that book file, not you. If it disappears from your Kindle library due to a glitch, syncing issue, or because they decided you did something wrong, getting it restored can be hard (or impossible). When you buy a digital book from our store, our partner Bookfunnel always keeps your book safe and accessible. You own the book.

Buying Direct means early access

Our bookstore will allow us to offer new releases before they are available elsewhere. Often Becca and I have a new book in hand for weeks prior to a book launch but we have to wait for the official release date. Now, we can pop a new guide into our store when it’s ready and minimize waiting.

Buying Direct keeps you in the loop (and saves you $$$)

Right now our store is set up to offer digital formats (ebook and PDF), but print is coming! And we’re looking to expand to other things as well. If you sign up for store notifications we’ll pop a quick message into your inbox whenever a cost-saving bundle, special workshop, on-demand webinar, discount, or something else becomes available. (But that’s it–no ‘hard sell’ stuff. That’s not us.)

Buying direct is a great way to support an author you care about, and Becca and I want to thank you for considering our Writers Helping Writers Bookstore when you’re looking for writing help. Thank you!

So, ready to check out our new store?

Visit the link above and take this celebratory discount code with you: WHWTHANKSYOU

This one-time code is a buy one, get the second ebook single at a 50% discount. You’ll see a place to enter the code when you checkout. (And a tippy tip: if you sign up for store notifications, you’ll get a bonus code that discounts your entire order a further 10%!) Add that second code at checkout to use both in the same order.

We’d also love your feedback. We’re just getting stared and have improvements in mind, but you guys are the pros here. You know what you need to see when deciding to buy a book, and we’d love your ideas on what might make this store better. If you’d like to leave us impressions or suggestions, zip over here. (It’s anonymous.) And thank you!

Don’t forget to redeem your buy one, get one code by January 15th, 2025, and happy writing!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Meet Our New Bookstore (& Save 50% off a Thesaurus!) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Good news! Your Secret Santa (Godzilla) has dropped another writerly gift into your stocking.

(And, if you missed the first gift he left for you, no problem. Just click through to this link to find Gift #1.)
We hope you enjoy it!

Ready to see what he’s left in your stocking?
Click the image below to collect your gift:

Also, I have to warn you:
Godzilla’s been reading again.

You know what this means–another book review. Lord help us. Here it is . . .

Godzilla Reviews The Occupation Thesaurus

As the all-powerful Godzilla, I have a unique perspective on occupations—after all, “Kaiju” isn’t your typical 9-to-5. But I tell you, as a reader, nothing causes me to incinerate a book faster than a character with a job that seems ‘slapped on.’

Like my relentless obliteration of enemies who threaten the natural balance, any true-to-life character is gonna spend a lot of time working, so of course their chosen job should fit their identity and circumstances. A well-thought-out choice gives a character depth, so steer clear of jobs that feel cliche, act as a plot device, or come across as a character quirk.

The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers has helpful breakdowns of different job types, making it easy to find matches for the character’s skills, personality, moral code, or even a passion–like my passion for using atomic breath and destruction to keep puny humans and inferior titans in line.

A big problem with this book? While it covers an impressive range of possible occupations and shows how this characterizing detail can generate radioactive story conflict and mess up even the strongest relationship, WHERE was the entry on Kaiju? What, a city-stomping behemoth isn’t GOOD ENOUGH to profile as a career in this guide? Sure, there is only one Godzilla. But you ask me, laying waste to buildings, destroying battleships with a fist, and body-slamming monsters into oblivion should be the dream job of every character!

~Godzilla

Well, there you have it. Godzilla’s review of The Occupation Thesaurus. Um…thanks, I guess?

If you’re looking for a Christmas Gift…

The Occupation Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Jobs, Vocations, and Careers dives into the type of work your character does…and how this important choice will give your story depth and meaning.

A character’s job is powerful, allowing you to convey a lot of characterization about them in a single punch: traits, skills, priorities, and more. Yet, many writers don’t think much about their character’s occupation—or worse, they pick something randomly, and miss out on what that job can reveal.

Researching specific careers takes time, so we’ve done the work for you. Part how-to, part brainstorming tool, this guide showcases over 120 jobs and breaks each down so you can find the perfect match and write about it with authority. 

More about this book
View the list of job profiles
Buy the book
Read Amazon reviews (4.8/5 Stars)

We hope you find gift #2 helpful, and wishing you a lovely holiday season!

Angela, Becca, & Mindy

Happy writing, everyone!

Stocking Stuffer #1 can be found here.

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Stocking Stuffers for Writers Gift #2 Is Here! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

It’s glorious. So…how do we do it? Psychology.

People are hardwired for stories. For one, they contain experiences that the primal part of the brain likes to mine for information to help with survival. But there are other reasons, too, like the chance to experience certain emotions that act as a release, and the sense of connection a person gets from discovering common ground with others…in this case, the characters.

This is psychology at work.

Certain psychological processes steer us, even though we may not realize it. They shape how we respond to life’s ups and downs, our behavior toward others and ourselves, influence the goals we seek, and more.

Psychology is the study of mental processes and behavior to understand why people think and behave as they do.

Most of us aren’t experts in psychology. We may not even think much about the WHY behind our attitudes and behaviors. Nonetheless, psychological patterns and processes are whirring in the background, drawing from our personal beliefs, emotions, values, identity, and experiences to determine how we think, act, and behave.

Applying human psychology to characters makes them authentic and relatable to readers.

Psychology is part of what it is to be human. Whether it’s a character’s struggles, choices, values, needs, or mistakes, readers can’t help but see a piece of themselves reflected in the character. A bond forms, and if we wish it, we can make that character important to them, someone whose hopes, desires, and goals are meaningful and worth cheering for.

We don’t need to be experts to use psychology, either. We may not always know the terminology or reasoning behind certain processes, but we know what they are like to experience. We can show a character struggling to mentally or emotionally process something and readers will relate—they’ve had to process challenging things, too. This familiarity creates connection and empathy, which is exactly what we want to happen.

Let’s look at a common psychological process: cognitive dissonance.

The best way to explain what this is will be to ask you a question: Have you ever experienced internal tension from an unsettling situation, like seeing a neighbor chain his dog up day after day?

Or maybe this tension crops up when you’re doing something you don’t feel 100% good about, like pulling into the McDonald’s drive-thru when you committed to making better choices and eating healthier.

If so, this tension is called cognitive dissonance, the psychological discomfort caused by contradicting thoughts, perceptions, values, or beliefs. It’s quite common – we all experience it. A few examples:

• We discover information that challenges our current beliefs and sense of right and wrong
• We must choose between competing values/beliefs because, in our current situation, we can’t live by both
• We are behaving in a way that doesn’t match with what we believe in

Cognitive dissonance causes uncomfortable emotions like confusion, worry, guilt, regret, or shame.

To illustrate, let’s go back to the McDonald’s example. Despite your plan to stick to healthy options, it’s been a hellish week, and you pull into the drive-thru. You feel guilty as you order, but when the food arrives, you park the car and indulge—it’s so good! Unfortunately, your Big Mac euphoria lasts only as long as the burger does, and now you’re regretting the decision to cave to your craving. Worse, you’re mentally beating yourself up for not having the willpower to resist.

Cognitive dissonance is powering this discord because you (a) like eating Big Macs but (b) want to lose weight and be healthy. You resolved inner tension briefly by choosing Team Big Mac, but because this behavior didn’t line up with that internal commitment you made to yourself, guilt and regret followed.

This is a psychological process so common readers will pick up on it in the story. The best part? Even if a character experiences dissonance and makes a choice that the reader would not, they still empathize with the character’s experience of internal strain.

Another form of internal contradiction is emotional dissonance. This happens when a person fakes an emotion that they don’t feel.

Can I use you as an example again? Let’s imagine at work you find yourself faking enthusiasm about your boss’s terrible marketing strategy. After all, you know from experience that he won’t listen to contrary opinions, and because you’re a team player, you put on your rah-rah face like everyone else in the meeting.

In this case, your dissonance is mild. You’ve weathered his bad ideas before and aren’t invested enough to state how you really feel.

But emotional dissonance isn’t always minor. Sometimes the emotion you’d have to fake is so far from what you feel that it clashes with your values or personal identity. Acting in alignment with an untrue emotion can mean sacrificing your belief system and going against who you are.

Let’s up the ante. You discover this marketing strategy is driven by a closely guarded secret: the company needs to dump a supply of expired baby formula that they’ve repackaged with fresh dates. When you confront your sales manager she explains that the product is fine, this happens all the time, so keep quiet and get out there and sell, sell, sell.

Can you, knowing the formula could be contaminated? Will you be able to fake confidence as you hit up those neonatal units and pharmacies to convince people to buy your product? Or is this something you can’t do because it crosses a line and violates your core values, regardless of how badly you need the bonus for meeting your sales quota?

Here, the divide between your true feelings (contempt and shock) and the emotion you’d need to fake (confidence) is much wider. Whichever you express reveals your identity: Are you the sort of person who does what’s right or what makes money?

Everyone protects their self-perceptions—things they believe to be true about themselves. Emotional dissonance in a story raises the stakes by challenging the character’s view of themselves, creating confusion, uncertainty, or regret. These difficult emotions are another point of common ground with readers because at one time or another, everyone has reflected on their own identity and whether they are being true to themselves.

Internal dissonance is the heart of inner conflict.

Showing a character wrestle with clashing beliefs, values, or other inconsistencies, no matter what they are, will resonate with readers. The character’s situation may be new to the reader, but the internal tug of war is something they have experience with.

In short, psychology is awesome. Use it!

If you’d like to know more (and discover the best way to encourage internal tension), dive into The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility. This companion book to The Emotion Thesaurus will show you how to remind readers of the real world and their own human experiences so they bond better with your characters!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Why Writers Should Use Psychology In Their Storytelling appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

It’s been a while since our last book as we needed to recalibrate our release schedule from fall to spring (resulting in a year gap), but now we’re back in the thesaurus-making saddle. May 13th is coming fast, so it’s time to dish some details about our next writing guide!

First up…the cover!

As this is an upgraded second edition and companion to The Emotion Thesaurus, we wanted the style of the books to match. This book is now a true thesaurus, packed with incredible help to showcase your character’s emotional state and help readers feel closer to your characters. More on that in a minute.

Next, the back jacket.

THE EMOTION AMPLIFIER THESAURUS:
A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility

STRESS YOUR CHARACTERS TO THEIR LIMITS 

Characters who are in control of their emotions rarely slip up, which makes for boring reading. To avoid that pitfall, channel your dark side and introduce stress that will make it harder for them to think clearly. Your weapon of choice? An amplifier. Pain, arousal, dehydration—conditions and states like these make it difficult for a character to emotionally self-regulate, setting them up for overreactions, misjudgments, and (hopefully) colossal mistakes they’ll have to fix and learn from. 

Inside The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus, you’ll find: 

• A deep dive into cognitive and emotional dissonance and how psychological discomfort steers a character’s reasoning and impacts their ability to make decisions
• Information on emotional stress as a trigger for self-awareness and personal growth, which makes amplifiers powerful levers to help steer story structure and character arc
• Lists of body language cues, internal sensations, thoughts, and other descriptives to show the effects of more than 50 amplifiers
• Brainstorming help on how to use each amplifier to generate tension and complication, apply everyday pressure, and make a character emotionally volatile
• Fifty-two bonus writing tips to help you wield amplifiers with skill and precision, taking your scenes from good to great

Push your characters. Give them no quarter. Use physical, cognitive, and psychological strain to force them to face their mistakes, acknowledge their true feelings, and work through the contradictions at the heart of every inner struggle. 

How is this book a “companion” to The Emotion Thesaurus?

When we were building the original Emotion Thesaurus, writers would ask us to cover specific emotions only some were not feelings at all, rather more states of being that had the ability to disrupt and amplify whatever the character was feeling. So, we created a quick mini booklet in the same style as The Emotion Thesaurus for 15 states like Boredom, Pain, and Stress. Now, that mini-guide has been expanded to over 50 states and conditions that will challenge your character’s ability to control their emotions, and it is packed with knowledge on how to use them to create bigger emotional moments that readers will feel part of.

I have the original ebooklet. How is this guide different?

Great question! Our original Emotion Amplifier ebooklet (45 pages) was a bare-bones guide, intended to provide quick help for describing common states like pain, illness, hunger, etc. that are often mistaken for emotions. It contained a brief how-to and 15 entries. This second edition (~200 pages) is a true deep dive into this storytelling element to show you just how powerful amplifiers are. This guide shows you how to use them to destabilize a character’s emotions, generate conflict, support story structure, and most importantly, bring readers inside your character’s emotional experience using common human struggles and internal turmoil. We’ve expanded the thesaurus to cover over 50 amplifiers, and for the first time ever, each entry has three pages of brainstorming material, not two. Because emotion amplifiers are so versatile and perfect for unlocking a character’s psychological state to create intimacy with readers, we couldn’t contain our lists to two pages.

Will there be a preorder?

Sorry, no. We’ve tried a preorder in the past, but a certain online store made a mess of it (costing us hundreds of sales), so we’d rather not have that happen again. But if you’d like a notification as soon as the book is out, add your email here. (If you’ve done so in the past, you won’t need to do so again.)

Are you giving out ARCs?

We do have 50 digital ARCs, and as we do at every launch, we’ll be drawing names from our lovely Street Team who have expressed a desire to review the book, whether they win an Arc or purchase the book.

Do you have a Street Team?

Yes, yes, and YES! The window to join has closed, but I hope you’ll consider joining us for the next book launch!

Can I access The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus at One Stop for Writers?

Yes! We’ll be updating this database closer to May with the additional entries, but you can see the current list of emotion amplifiers here. (If you’d like to poke around & view the entire THESAURUS DATABASE in full, we recommend starting a 2-week free trial.)

Did we miss a question? If so, please ask, and we’ll be happy to answer!

Thanks so much for always supporting us. May 13th will be here soon, and we can’t wait. We hope this book is everything you need and more!

Click here to be notified when this book releases.

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus (May 2024 Release) appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Emotion is HUGE in storytelling, so we’re circling back to bring you The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Stress and Volatility.

If the topic of emotion amplifiers sounds familiar, it may be. Many years ago we created an ebooklet under this name as a companion to The Emotion Thesaurus. It covered 15 states often mistaken for emotions (boredom, stress, hunger, etc.) because they strain a character, making it easier for them to lose control of their emotions.

Did your heartbeat just pick up a little? Because when someone loses control, bad things happen. They lash out, say the one thing they shouldn’t, burn bridges. They act rashly, make mistakes, and create a mess of problems for themselves. Ah, music to a writer’s ears!

But emotion amplifiers do a lot more than destabilize emotions, and there are more than just fifteen, so we knew at some point we would circle back and create a proper guide for you. We can’t wait for you to see it!

We Need Your Help!

Launching a book is a big task and one we need help with. We’re putting together our Street Team and would love for you to share this ride with us!

A Street Team can lend a hand in a variety of ways. They might…

• Help us build excitement for the book before the release
• Share book graphics, blog posts, and other things we create around the book so writers know this resource is coming
• Read The Emotion Amplifier Thesaurus and provide an honest review (we have 50 arcs to distribute)
• Lend us their blog for a day at launch and put up a post written by us
• Use their social platforms to help us find writers who will find the book helpful
• Point their writing audience to our launch event so they can enter the giveaway
• Be in our corner and provide help in whatever way they can!

The Advantages…

If you enjoy being an insider, you’ll get the first look at the cover and have a front row seat to our launch strategy, which can be helpful to you as you release your own book. You’ll see how to communicate with a street team so you can build your own, too. We also give out 50 digital arcs, so you may be one of the first to read and use this guide!

Being part of the Street Team doesn’t mean a mountain of work, either. We try to make it as easy to help as possible. We also respect your inbox. When you sign up, you can let us know what you are interested in helping with, and we’ll make sure you don’t see emails about other things.

Our release date is May 13th. If you think you can spare a bit of time (and your platform) to help, sign up here.

Thank you!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Writers, A New Thesaurus Guide Is On The Way! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

No one in the real world is perfect, and so characters shouldn’t be either. To seem as real as you or me, they should have flaws and strengths, and these sides of their personality should line up with who they are, how they were raised, and reflect the experiences they’ve had to date, good and bad.

While we develop our characters, however, we need to remember that flaws come with a tipping point. If we write someone with an overabundance of negative traits and behaviors that are a turnoff, the character will slide into unlikable territory. And yes, if the goal is to make a villain, antagonist, or other character loathsome, that’s fine–mission accomplished. But if we want readers to be on their side, too much surliness, negativity, secretiveness, or propensity for overblown reactions can cause a reader to disconnect.

Like a joke taken too far, it’s hard to claw an audience back once they’ve formed negative judgments, which is why we want to be careful and deliberate when showing our character’s negative side. Antiheroes tend to wear flaws more openly and can be semi-antagonistic as they battle the world’s constraints, so this line of likability is something to pay close attention to if we want readers to ultimately side with them. Here are some tips to help you.

How to Write Flawed Characters
& Not Turn Readers Off

Show A Glimmer: no matter how impatient, uptight, or spoiled your character is, hint there’s more beneath the surface. A small action or internal observation can show the character in a positive light, especially when delivered in their first scene (frequently referred to as a Save the Cat moment.) It can be a positive quality, like a sense of humor, or a simple act that shows something redeeming about the character.

Imagine a man yelling at the old ladies crowding the hallway outside his apartment door as they pick up their friend Mabel for bingo, and then seeing him swear and fume at the chuggy elevator for making him late. Not the nicest guy, is he? But when Mr. Suit and Tie gets to his car outside, he stops to dig out a Ziploc bag of cat food and carefully roll down the edges into a makeshift bowl.

What? Here the guy seemed like an impatient jerk, but we discover part of his morning routine is to feed the local stray cat! Maybe he isn’t so bad after all. (Talk about a literal interpretation of “saving the cat.”)

Use POV Narrative for Insight: characters are flawed for a reason, namely negative experiences (wounds) which create flaws as an “emotional countermeasure.” Imagine a hero who stutters, and he was teased about it growing up. Even his parents encouraged him to “be seen and not heard” when they hosted parties and special events. Because of the emotional trauma (shame and anger) at being treated badly, he’s now uncommunicative and unfriendly as an adult. This type of backstory can be dribbled into narrative with care, as long as it’s active, has bearing on the current action, and is brief as to not slow the pace.

Create Big Obstacles: the goal is to create empathy as soon as possible, and one of the ways to do that is to show what the character is up against. If your character has a rough road ahead, the reader will make allowances for behavior, provide they don’t wallow and whine overmuch. After all, it isn’t hardship that creates empathy…it’s how a character behaves despite their hardship as that gives readers a window into who they really are.

Form a Balance: No character is all good or all bad. Give them a mix of positive traits (attributes) and negative traits (flaws) so they feel realistic, and ensure their negative traits contain a learning curve. For example, their negative traits may be good at keeping people and uncomfortable situations at a distance in the past, but in your story, they won’t help your character get what they want. Your character will have to see this for themselves, and it’ll only happen when that flawed behavior and way of thinking leads to poor judgment, mistakes, relationship friction, and other problems, the poor sap.

Eventually the character will see that they need to change up their behavioral playlist if they want to succeed, and this means letting go of the bad and embracing the good, opening their mind to a new way of thinking, behaving, and being. This is where their positives get to shine, so lay the foundation with qualities that may start in the background, but come forward and show them to be rounded, likable, and unique.

Of Special Concern:
Your Story’s Baddies

It’s easy to give an antagonist flaws because your intent is to make readers dislike them, but even here, caution is needed. Hopelessly flawed antagonists make shallow characters and unworthy opponents, so we want to also give them strengths (like intelligence, meticulousness, dedication, and discipline, for example) to make them formidable and hard to beat.

This forces your protagonist to work their hardest, and in a match up, nothing is guaranteed. Being uncertain about the outcome of these story moments is what will hold the reader’s attention to the very end.

To build balanced, unique characters and find traits, positive and negative, that will make sense for them, take a look at the Positive Trait & Negative Trait Thesaurus Writing Guides. We created these to make character building easier for you.

Happy writing!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Writing Flawed Characters Who Don’t Turn Readers Off appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

I hear writers talking all the time about building their enewsletter subscriber list. Build a subscriber list, the thinking goes, and you’ll sell more books.

Except it’s not that simple. These authors are focused on only the first half of their job: attracting new subscribers to their list.

They’re missing—often, completely neglecting—the other half: pleasing those subscribers once they get them.

Are You Too Focused on Numbers?

Holding a giveaway where you gather a long list of new subscribers may feel exciting in the moment. But how excited will you be when most of those subscribers unsubscribe? Or ignore your enewsletter completely, letting it collect dust in some unchecked inbox?

Dead weight on your newsletter may boost your numbers, but that doesn’t help you much. Those who aren’t regularly opening, reading, and clicking aren’t doing anything except giving you a false sense of how large your email list is.

It’s only by pleasing subscribers that you have any hope at all of ever selling anything to them. That’s because most people need to know you and the value you can deliver before they’ll be willing to part with their hard-earned money for something you created.

You have no hope of establishing that relationship if you don’t keep them opening and reading on a regular basis.

It Starts with Targeting the Right People

First, you have to be sure you’re targeting the right people when you’re building your list. (I’m assuming you’ve established your niche—if not, check out this post.)

However you’re reeling in new subscribers—through a freebie, giveaway, or other dangled carrot—the more that carrot fits your readers’ needs, the more likely they will be to stay with you for the long term. (We’ll talk more about newsletter carrots in a future post.)

In other words, if you write cozy mysteries, it’s not going to help if you join a multi-author giveaway where the rest of the books are in the horror genre.

A report on vacationing in the most famous cozy mystery settings—or even in your favorite cozy mystery settings from your books—might work out great.

3 Ways to Please Your Subscribers and Keep Them Coming Back

Think about how often you open an e-newsletter and READ it. Or click on a link to check it out.

Most likely, there are fewer than five that earn this special place in your life.

That’s because we’re all busy. Managing our email inboxes is just one of a zillion things on our to-do lists. Your subscribers are in the same boat. They’re looking for any reason to dump your email from their inbox so they have one less to deal with.

Not only must you avoid giving them that reason, but you must also give them lots of reasons to keep opening and reading. Yours has to be one of the few newsletters that earn that top spot in your readers’ lives.

How do you do that?

1. Give Them Something They Want

Too often authors fail to focus on that age-old question when it comes to their e-newsletters: “What’s in it for me?”

That’s what your reader is asking. If all you do is talk about you—without relating to them—they’re likely to leave pretty quickly.

Again, think about what you are looking for in your newsletters. Most likely, it’s one or more of these things:

• Helpful information
• Something funny or entertaining that will brighten your day
• Awesome deals you wouldn’t find anywhere else—on something you want

This is where a blog can come in handy. Every time you have a new post—if your posts offer readers something they value—alerting them to that post in your e-newsletter is one way to give them helpful information.

You can also alert them to other posts you’ve found that you think they would be interested in. Share some news that affects your niche, or alert them to a deal on a piece of equipment they may regularly use.

The key is to provide value to your reader. Go beyond talking about your latest book. In general, fill 80 percent of your newsletter with things meant to benefit your reader, and only 20 percent with self-promotional material.

2. Establish a Connection with Them

People stay on a newsletter list for several reasons. One of them is that they feel some kind of connection with the person who’s sending it.

You can help establish that connection with every newsletter you send. Write it as if you’re talking to a friend. One of my favorite newsletters is from Nick Stephenson of “Your First 10,000 Readers” fame. I often open and read his newsletters just to see what crazy story he’s sharing that day.

Nick is very good at taking stories from his life and turning them into valuable takeaways for his readers—all while talking in a way that makes you feel like he’s chatting away with you.

Of course, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. One, stay professional. You want to treat your reader like a friend, but obviously, keep some boundaries in place.

Second, remember to always think in terms of what your reader needs, not what you need. This is not the time to rant about your crazy editor, for example—unless you have some valuable lesson to share at the end of your rant that will benefit your reader.

Protect yourself—you don’t know who most of your readers are or what their intentions are. But sharing a few safe details or stories that help them to get to know you a little better will increase the odds that they stay with you over the long term.

3. Surprise or Delight Them Now and Then

A couple of writing friends of mine regularly give something away in their newsletters. They do this frequently enough that their readers feel compelled to open their newsletters “just in case” they may find some sweet giveaway there that they want to enter.

What to give away? You’re limited only by your imagination. Free books, reports, prizes, swag, quote cards, recipes, special graphics, coupons, and more will work. You could also hold a contest and award the winners.

Another way to surprise and delight is to include photos of your subscribers. If you recently went to an event where you met up with some of them, snap some selfies and then be sure to give those subscribers a shout-out.

You can also ask their opinion about something and then include quotes from some in your next newsletter.

The general idea is to regularly provide value, but now and then, provide a little more just to make your readers happy. That way they’ll be more likely to stick around.

Are Your Subscribers Still Reading?

I have several subscribers that have been with me since I started the Writing and Wellness e-newsletter in 2014. I love reviewing my audience data and seeing that most of those subscribers are highly rated—meaning after all this time, they’re still opening and reading my e-newsletters.

These are your most valuable readers by far, so do all you can to keep them coming back!

“The bottom line is that a newsletter can help you make more sales and reach more readers than any other marketing technique,” writes Catia Shattuck for Book Cave. “The key is to build an audience over time. Remember, you’re in this for a lifetime, not just a few months. Happy emailing!”

Note: Get Colleen’s free report on finding your blogging niche plus free chapters of her award-winning books for writers here!

COLLEEN M. STORY - Resident Writing Coach

Colleen M. Story is a novelist, freelance writer, writing coach, and speaker with over 20 years in the creative writing industry. In addition to writing several award-winning novels, Colleen’s series of popular success guides, Your Writing Matters, Writer Get Noticed! and Overwhelmed Writer Rescue, have all been recognized for their distinction.

Colleen offers personalized coaching plans tailored to meet your needs, and frequently serves as a workshop leader and motivational speaker, where she helps attendees remove mental and emotional blocks and tap into their unique creative powers. Find out more about our RWC team here and connect with Colleen below. Free chapters | Master Writer Mindset

The post Three Things Your Author Newsletter Must Do to Please Subscribers appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

We’re a month away from the official kickoff to summer, and as someone who gets less of this season than many (Oh, Canada), I’m starting to get giddy. Summer is ahead, ready to unfurl like a warm, sunny rug. I’m talking longer days, less rigid schedules, and more trips to Gong Cha for bubble tea. Let the good times roll.

Some writers may be looking to take the next few months off from writing, or shift focus to other writerly tasks. Others have no such plans, and will be full steam ahead as usual.

I want to make room to enjoy summer, but I’ll still be working, balancing writing and research with the other things on my plate, and frankly, I’m good with that. I’m the type of person who needs to know I’m furthering the ball when it comes to my goals, even if it’s at a slower pace.

Writing over the summer is glorious because…

We can move our office wherever we want. I love being able to take my laptop outside and work on the sun-dappled balcony in the morning, or pull a deck chair into the shade during the afternoon. Sometimes I decide it’s a take-your-adult-beverage-to-work-day, because why not? Summer!

We can tap into greater creativity. Writing outside, or even with just the windows open, brings us birdsong, the shush of leaves, and perfumed air of flowers and greenery. Color is everywhere, too, visual reminders that everything is growing, coming into its own, just as we are with each word we write.

We can take our stories on the road. Is there anything better than taking a notebook on a walk, finding a quiet park or place along the river, and just letting our imagination flow? Getting out from the desk is a powerful way to reconnect with creativity and spontaneity (and it keeps us from losing hours to scrolling tiktok videos).

We have more energy. Summer tends to mean less activities and a slower pace as schools close and people at work rotate through holidays and vacations. With less pressure in these areas, we have more time for ourselves, and more mental energy for our books.

A break from writing can be beneficial because…

Life can be stressful, and sometimes we just need a break. Between work, family, social commitments, and unexpected life hurdles, sometimes the last thing we need is to fill a gap of time with more of anything. It’s okay to take time for yourself, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about not writing, especially if you are a bit burned out.

You just wrapped up something big, and need rest. Last year, my life was nuts. In a span of three months, both my children were married, I moved, and my husband was admitted for major surgery. With so many big life events happening all at once, I needed some downtime in the worst way, so I took it without regret.

You’re struggling with Writer’s Block. When retrieving words seems impossible, sometimes you need to keep trying, but other times, stepping back is the better choice. The dreaded block often happens because the creative well is empty, meaning it needs to be refilled. Read, get out in nature, watch movies, do art, bake, and do all the things that tend to make you feel creative and feed your imagination. When you are itching to get back to writing, you’ll know.

Or…strike a balance!

Few things are all-or-nothing, including your summer writing (or not-writing) strategy. If you have visitors to prep for, weekend camping trips, or this is the year you renovate the yard, it might be difficult to work on your novel with regularity. But if you’re like me and get a bit squidgy when you feel as if you aren’t furthering your writing goals, look for middle ground. One way might be to choose bite-sized tasks over a steady word count.

Think about where you are now, and where you want to be. Make a list of things that you need to know to have a clearer picture of your path forward. Do you need to research publishing options? Get a query letter & list of agents ready to go? Do you need to find a course to help you market, or create a shortlist of reputable freelance editors? Whatever things you believe should be in your headlights, make a list. Order it so what you need to get started on first is at the top.

Do some research. Being a writer means there’s always more for us to learn. Maybe it’s time to research website hosting, play with design tools so you’ll be able to create promotional materials down the road, or find answers to your publishing questions. Summer is a great time to visit new sites, test tools, and find resources that can help you take the next step.

Plan a new story. Summer is the BEST time to dream up new characters, outline a story, or build a fictional world. These are writing bits that are fun, creative, and perfect for smaller pockets of time. Being able to mull everything over, and do some of the important planning, can put you in a great place when it’s time to start writing!

You even have the time and space to decide the best way for your story to start. Having that first scene clear in your mind can make it so much easier to get going when it’s time to write it.

If you are planning to write…

You might want to check out One Stop for Writers. Becca and I have spent years building a powerful toolkit full of resources, the largest show-don’t-tell THESAURUS database anywhere, and a Storyteller’s Roadmap, which guides you step-by-step as you plan, write, and revise.

This can be especially helpful over the summer so you keep track of what comes next at whatever stage you’re in. Find out more.

What are your plans this summer – write, take a break, or something in between?

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post Should You Write Over the Summer, or Take a Break? appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

Two novice writers met in an online critique group called the Critique Circle and became fast friends. Angela (a Canadian) wrote about zombies and pirates and a magical bookstore that kidnapped customers. Becca (an American) wrote everything from a coming of age YA during California’s Gold Rush to a dark tale of a doughy gingerbread boy being baked alive (and here you thought Angela was the weird one).

The two also shared something else: a passion for learning and helping others. So they turned to studying the craft of writing and how they could help others work through common writing struggles.

One of the bigger hurdles writers faced was showing and not telling character emotion, so the two collaborated on a list of ways to show fear. This brainstorming list was well-received, and led to the next, and the next. Then in January 2008, they decided to start a blog so they could share these lists more widely. At The Bookshelf Muse, this collection of lists was given an official name: the “Emotion Thesaurus.”

This thesaurus became the first of many on different aspects of description, and finally, on May 9, 2012, they self-published their first writing guide: The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression.

Truth be told, it was terrifying. The industry wasn’t so keen on self-publishing back then, and some experts were vocal about how they believed writers were throwing their careers away if they self-published. To know about this bias and then put a book on the same industry-dominated shelf anyway took a lot of inner convincing, especially as this was their first publication, meaning they had no bestselling-this or editor-that to give them credibility.

But they did have something special. You.

Right from that first list, first blog, and first book, YOU were in their corner. You supported, cheered, and encouraged. You helped spread the word, told other writers about the helpful nature of this book, and then did the same for all the ones that followed.

Thank you for being in our corner!

Becca and I are stunned that a million of our books are in the world. Never could we have dreamt of being able to help so many writers, but we’ve been able to because of all of you. Your kindness, generosity, and support is unmatched. We are so grateful–thank you so, so much!

(Find Out More: Press Release & Quick Facts)

Giveaway Alert

A milestone like this calls for a special giveaway, so we reached out to our Resident Writing Coaches for help.

And boy, did they ever deliver!

Look at this incredible load of writerly things you can win…

The Prizes

A Story Audit from RWC & Editor, Lisa Poisso

This small but powerful diagnostic examines your one-page synopsis, a comprehensive assessment of the story’s narrative elements (story structure, plot, character arcs, conflict, and more), and an overview of the writing in your full manuscript. It will help you determine if your book is ready for editing, saving you time, energy, and money by diagnosing any big-picture issues before you pay someone for editing. A winner can redeem this Story Audit anytime after July 2023. (Psst. Lisa is great to work with!)

First 5000 Critique from RWC & Editor Michelle Barker

Your query letter and synopsis are important parts of the submission package, but your writing sample is the true test. In fact, many agents read the sample first. This service includes a developmental edit of your first 5000 words & complimentary access to Query Quest. Find out more.

Online Confidential Platform & Networking On Demand Course from RWC, Script Editor & Author, Lucy V. Hay

Marketing and platform building can be a challenge, but this step-by-step guide will help you utilize the online space to your best advantage as a writer or screenwriter. If you feel you aren’t getting traction online now, or you just don’t know where to start, this course will help you! Find out more.

A Wicked Good Bootcamp Seat from RWC, Editor, & Author Suzy Vadori
The 8-week virtual book coaching experience will teach you to write a book that readers will love. Get clear on the story you’re dying to tell (and WHY you want to tell it), so you can turn it into a book readers actually want to read without compromising your creative vision. Skip the writers’ learning curve and get over a decade’s worth of Suzy’s insider writing industry tips in just 8 weeks to make your writing as strong as possible. Come away with a detailed action plan to get your ideal book written and into the world this year.

A Crime Scene or Climax Critique, (Winner’s Choice) from RWC & Thriller Author Sue Coletta

Attention, mystery, thriller & crime writers! This unique prize has been designed just for you from an expert in crime scenes, serial killers, tension, and suspense! (Did I mention she has her own Murder Blog?) Sue will assess your scene and offer feedback to help you ramp up the intensity. Note: the winner will need to provide a short synopsis of the story so Sue has context for the scene.

A $150 credit toward a Cruising Writers Writing Retreat with RWC & Author Christina Delay

Have you ever dreamed of joining a bunch of writers on a writing retreat in some beautiful location? Then imagine a situation where you get to visit several stunning locations, be pampered as you relax, and have a chance to learn and network with industry pros! Cruising Writers is a fantastic option for retreaters – rest, relax, and fill your creative well aboard a stunning cruise ship. The winner will get a hefty $150 discount on your package when you book! (Stating the obvious, but you must be a writer to win.)

A 20-Page Critique of Your Middle Grade or YA Novel by RWC & Editor, Marissa Graff

Wouldn’t it be great to have help with the opening of your story, especially from someone who was a freelance editor and reader for former literary agent Sarah Davies (ranked #2 in middle-grade fiction sales) for over seven years? Someone who has had clients go on to nab agents, sell their books, and even win the Newbery Award? Heck yes it would! Marissa Graff will help you bring out the best elements of your MG or YA opening by critiquing your first 20 pages.

A Full Picture Book Critique from Our WHW Blog Wizard & “PB Fairy Godmother” Mindy Alyse Weiss

Mindy is the mastermind behind PBParty, an annual contest that connects talented picture book writers and author/illustrators with agents and editors. This has led to many success stories. Mindy has a ton of experience in what agents and editors are looking for in a picture book. The winner of this prize can send up to three PB manuscripts. Mindy will give light comments on two and in-depth feedback on the PB with the most potential.

A 1-Year Subscription to One Stop for Writers from your biggest fans… Becca and me!

We have created many thesauruses over the years, but not all of them become books…some go straight to a THESAURUS Database at One Stop for Writers. This web app is how we help writers beyond our books and where we’ve built powerful tools that make it much easier to plan, write, and revise your way to a publish-ready book. Take the tour, start a free trial, and make sure to enter below for a chance to win a 1-year membership! We’d love to help you bring your best story to the page.

To Enter:

Want a chance to win one of these amazing prizes? Click the link below.

WHW’s 1 Million Book Milestone Giveaway

(Final day to enter is May 9th, 2023, EST).
Winners are being notified! Watch your inbox!

Note, one entry per person. Prizes have no cash value and cannot be transferred. For full legal rules and conditions, please go here.)

Thank you again for all your kind support. We are honored to be part of your storytelling journey!

If you’d like to help us celebrate this milestone, feel free to share this post. And good luck in the draw!

ANGELA ACKERMAN

Angela is a writing coach, international speaker, and bestselling author who loves to travel, teach, empower writers, and pay-it-forward. She also is a founder of One Stop For Writers, a portal to powerful, innovative tools to help writers elevate their storytelling.

The post We’ve Reached the One Million Books Milestone! appeared first on WRITERS HELPING WRITERS®.

By Liz Alterman

You’ve written a book. Congratulations! Now for the next hurdle—gathering those all-important ratings and reviews.

When my novel, The Perfect Neighborhood, was released last July, I quickly learned how critical these are. Leading up to my launch, I reached out to a nearby library to see if they’d consider it for their book club. Before I could even offer to donate copies or attend the meeting, I was promptly told to call back when I had more than one hundred, four-star ratings. Ouch!

For many authors, myself included, knowing that people took the time to read your words feels like a gift in itself. Can you really ask them to take more time out of their busy lives to write and post a review? Yes, you can, and here’s why you must.

First, reviews and ratings serve as a form of social proof. The more you have—especially positive ones—the more likely readers are to give your book a try.

As Scott Blackburn, author of the southern crime thriller It Dies With You, pointed out, publishers are doing less and less promotional work in an increasingly crowded market, making book reviews crucial—especially for debut authors.

“Even now, I often find myself scrolling Goodreads and Amazon, looking for new material to read, and more times than not, the quality and quantity of a book’s reviews will guide my decision on what to buy,” said Blackburn. “Do those criteria mean a book will be a guaranteed hit? Absolutely not. That’s all subjective. Did those reviews help the authors behind those books? Most definitely.” 

Second, while having plenty of reviews and ratings may encourage readers to take a chance on your book, there’s another reason they’re important.

“In order to qualify for certain promotions on Amazon and BookBub, you need to have 50 or 100 reviews on Amazon,” explained Andrea J. Stein, author of the novel Typecast, and a book publicist by profession. “Also, the more reviews you have, the more the algorithm will promote your book.”

So, How Do You Make the Ask?

For plenty of authors, asking readers for reviews and ratings can feel awkward, almost like fishing for compliments.

“Many authors struggle with this aspect of self-promotion because they feel rude or pushy when asking for reviews,” said Blackburn. “If this is the case for you, keep this in mind: in a world where a majority of shopping is done online, people encounter reviews and ratings on a daily basis, which means they understand why those things are so important.” 

So how does Blackburn handle it? Approach these requests with kindness and professionalism, he advised.

“Simply let people know how much reviews help and how appreciative you are to get them,” he said. “This could be done in a blanket post on social media or in a casual conversation with a reader.”

His go-to script? “If you have time, I’d really appreciate a review.”

“If the person you ask isn’t comfortable with—or simply doesn’t know how—to write a book review, it’s good to remind them that clicking a star rating only takes seconds, and those can be just as helpful,” Blackburn added.

Stein offered her strategy. “Whenever someone tells me they loved my book, my immediate response is to ask if they could post a review on Amazon,” she said. “If it’s in response to an email, I’ll tell them that they can just use the same text they used in the email as their review.”

You can also ask that they paste that same text on various retailer and review sites to boost your book on multiple platforms.

Stein added that she’s never had anyone say anything but “yes,” and most often, they keep their word.

“When I send an ARC to a potential reviewer, I simply thank them for their interest and wish them ‘happy reading!’” she said. “I then follow up to confirm they’ve received the ARC and to ask if they know when they’ll be able to read/review the book. I always point out that reviews can be short. I don’t want people to feel they’re expected to write an essay.”

Blackburn offered additional strategies, such as creating a social media post like: “I’m sitting at 97 reviews. If you read my novel, I’d love for you to help me reach 100 reviews.”

“I’ve had success with similar posts,” he said. “At minimum, it’s a reminder to readers to leave a review, and more than that, people love to be a part of a milestone. I’ve even seen authors host giveaways when they hit review milestones.” 

Author and humorist Julie Vick shared an innovative, quieter but just as effective strategy.

To spread the word about her book, Babies Don’t Make Small Talk (So Why Should  I?): The Introvert’s Guide to Surviving Parenthood, Vick connected with stewards of Little Free Libraries (LFL) and also left her book in LFLs in her area. In each copy, she placed a sticker encouraging readers to leave a review. She shared the text she included:  

“This book was donated to a Little Free Library for you to enjoy. If you enjoyed reading it, I would love it if you could leave a review on a retailer’s site or Goodreads (you don’t have to have bought a book there to leave a review).”

If friends or family haven’t had a chance to read your book yet, they can still give the work a boost by marking it “to-read” on Goodreads. How does it help? When someone checks that box, all of their Goodreads friends will see your book on their homepages, increasing its free exposure.

Courtesy Counts

Vick said that as she asked readers to rate her book, she was always conscious to “not bombard people with requests.”

Blackburn agreed there’s a line between being persistent and being pushy and said there’s no need to publicly seek reviews daily, but if you’ve recently launched a book or your reviews begin to slow, don’t be afraid to ask.

“I’ve also tried to just be a good literary citizen in terms of reviewing other authors’ books,” said Vick. “So when I read a book that I enjoy, I try to review it on one of the sites. This can often lead to reciprocal reviews from other authors you know without you having to ask.” 

Blackburn echoed the importance of returning the favor. “If you’re asking for reviews,” he said, “make sure you’re leaving reviews for your fellow authors.”

If you’re not seeing those reviews and ratings pile up, don’t panic.

“It’s also important to keep in mind that less than 15% (often less than 10%) of people review or rate the books they read, so there’s no need to panic if you’ve sold 500 books and you’re nowhere near 100 reviews,” said Blackburn. That’s totally normal.” 

While asking for ratings and reviews may feel uncomfortable, much like writing itself, once you’ve done it you’ll be glad you did. Chances are, they’ll help your book find more readers and, ultimately, isn’t that what writers want?

Liz Alterman is the author of the suspense novel, The Perfect Neighborhood. the young adult novel, He’ll Be Waiting, and the memoir, Sad Sacked. Liz lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons. When she isn’t writing, Liz spends most days reading, microwaving the same cup of coffee, and looking up synonyms.

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