Six Tips to Upskill Yourself Without Attending a Writer's Conference

By Iola Goulton @iolagoulton

Registration has now closed for the 2018 Omega Writer's Conference to be held in Adelaide from 26 to 28 October. For those of you who are going, it's going to be a great weekend (and I'll have some tips for you next week).

But for those of you who can't make it ... does this mean you miss out on the opportunity to learn, to upskill yourself? Not at all. Here are six tips for upskilling yourself without going to a conference:

Reading In My Genre

Reading in my genre (Christian romance) enables me to observe genre trends. It also means I can suggest comparable titles for clients to include in contest entries, proposals, or in developing their own marketing plans. I tend to focus on debut authors (because that shows me what publishers are buying) and new-to-me authors.

Reading Outside My Genre

Reading outside my genre expands my genre horizons, and often teaches me something new about writing craft. For example, I have been heard to say I don't enjoy reading fantasy. Yet I've recently read and enjoyed Fawkes by Nadine Brandes. What did I enjoy? What can I learn from that? (Click here to read my review).

I've also recently read a couple of Christian romance novels I didn't enjoy. Why not? What can I learn from that? And was it the book ... or was it me? (Sometimes it's that I didn't care for the characters. So what can I do to put more emotion in my writing and editing?

Reading Craft Books

I also read writing craft books, and I often quote respected writers such as James Scott Bell, Janice Hardy, Randy Ingermanson, and Orson Scott Card in my editorial letters. Reading experts helps me edit to a higher standard by showing me areas in which I (and my clients) can improve, and giving me a language to describe both what needs work, and how to fix it.

Many popular writing instructors and speakers also write books on writing craft or offer online courses. Some of their books are based on their courses or conference presentations—so if you can't make the conference, buying the book will give you the main content.

For example, I've recently purchased Verbalize by Damon Suede after hearing him speak at the 2018 Romance Writers of New Zealand conference. I've also bought books by Michael Hauge and James Scott Bell after hearing them speak. The books don't replace listening, but they are a great aide memoir for all the notes I didn't take (Damon Suede makes the Engergiser Bunny seem slower than a sloth).

Read Blog Posts

There are dozens—hundreds—of great writing blogs. Most are written by writers for writers, although some are written by editors (or people who both write and edit). Some of my favourite writing blogs are:

• David Farland
• Writers in the Storm (a group blog with some great contributors including Margie Lawson).
• Writer Unboxed (a group blog which features Dave King as a regular guest)
• The Kill Zone Blog (a group of thriller authors which includes James Scott Bell as a contributor)
• Janice Hardy's Fiction University
• Randy Ingermanson (who also has an excellent monthly newsletter)
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch (for publishing and marketing advice)

Of course, I should also mention my own blog, Christian Editing Services, where I share a weekly post on some aspect of writing, editing, publishing, and marketing.

Online Courses

Many writing instructors offer online courses either through their own website (e.g. Margie Lawson and Lawson Writer's Academy) or through online platforms such as Teachable or Udemy. If you aren't able to hear Michael Hauge in person, then his Udemy course is a great substitute (and it's sometimes on sale for as little as USD 10).

Some courses are delivered via email or an online classroom and give students the opportunity to submit writing samples, receive individualised feedback on their writing, and interact with other students. These are generally more expensive, as students are paying for the instructor's time. They also operate over a fixed timescale (e.g. one month), so it's only worth enrolling if you will be able to make time to complete the assignments, as that's how you get the best value.

Other courses are delivered via email or through online audio or video platforms, and students can work through the course material at their own pace (my Kick-Start Your Author Platform Marketing Challenge is one such course). This can be an advantage and a disadvantage: it's easy to sign up for a work-at-your-own pace course, and it's just as easy to not complete it because life gets in the way. These courses require more self-discipline than the classroom-type courses.

Conference Recordings

Some of the bigger writers conferences record the teaching sessions and make the audio recordings available for members to purchase for as little as $10 each. Conferences which sell audio recordings include:

• American Christian Fiction Writers
• Christian Proofreaders & Editors Network
• Romance Writers of America

So there you have my six ways to upskill yourself without going to a writing conference (or to keep learning throughout the year between conferences).

Will you be attending the 2018 Omega Writer's Conference? Of not, how do you plan to upskill yourself in 2018 and 2019?

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, works as a freelance editor, and has recently introduced an Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Do I Have to Blog? 8 Memes for Writers

By Iola Goulton | @IolaGoulton

Last week I suggested participating in a weekly or monthly meme or blog hop as a way of developing the blogging habit. This week I'm sharing seven memes to give you some blogging inspiration! As a bonus, they are all great for sharing on social media ... which helps build your author platform and brand.

(If you know you need to start building your author platform but have no idea where to start, or if you've made a start but aren't sure if you're on the right track, you need to join my March Marketing Challenge: Kick Start Your Author Platform. Click here to check it out.)

Particpating in a Meme or Blog Hop

Some bloggers participate each week, others participate less regularly. Most memes don't mind whether you participate or not in any given week. Others have rules. For example, the Author ToolBox Blog Hop is only monthly and doesn't operate in November (because of Nanowrimo) or December. Participants can miss one other month during a calendar year.

Comment and Share

Most memes or blog hops ask participants to visit and comment on at least some of the posts each week/month. I usually visit each site once. If they have a post up, I'll comment (if I can add to the discussion), and share to social media where relevant. For example, I share add all Author ToolBox Blog Hop posts to a jukebox in SocialJukebox, which means they get shared regularly without any further action from me.

Commenting on other posts in the meme is encouraged, it's not usually compulsory (but check the requirements at the host site). A blog hop is similar. The main difference is that participants are encouraged to visit and comment on other particpating blogs.

Respond to Comments

Of course, people are also commenting on my post, so that's the final step: responding to any comments on my own site.

Time Commitment

It takes me about half an hour to write, post, and format a #FirstLineFriday post (including creating a post-specific graphic). I then spend half an hour to an hour commenting and responding to comments, depending on how busy I am, how many posts I want to comment on, and how many people have commented on my blog.

That might seem like a lot of time, but it's a its a lot less time than it would take me to read a book and write a book review, yet it serves similar purposes: bringing a book to the attention of people who wouldn't otherwise know about it, and connecting with readers on my own website.

Here are some of the memes and blog hops I've come across. Most of them are focused on fiction, but that's fine. You're a writer—you should also be a reader. Right?

1. Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren’s Page Turners . To participate, you simply choose a random book from your Goodreads To Read folder, and show it off. Then link back to Lauren's Page Turners.

2. Top Ten Tuesday

Your top ten book choices on a certain predetermined topic. The meme is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. There is a link to future questions on each Tuesday post. Most of the participating bloggers focus on Christian fiction. Bloggers often tag featured authors in social media shares, which increases visibility and comments—a win-win.

3. Tuesday Book Chat

Answer a pre-set question about books or reading. This is hosted here at Australasian Christian Writers (yay!). If you'd like to contribute, let us know and we'll send you the list of questions for 2018. Write your post, then share it in the comments of our post.

I also create an image for each question, which I share on social media. I get more comments on Instagram than anywhere else. This means it's a great way of connecting with my followers and finding out what they are interested in.

3.Can't Wait Wednesday

A book you're waiting for, and why. This meme is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings. It's simple: a cover image and book description (from Goodreads or a retail site), and a sentences or two on why you want to read the book.

5. WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and has been revived by Sam at Taking on a World of Words.

You can add as much or as little information as you want about each title. This is another excellent way of engaging with fellow readers.

6. Author ToolBox Blog Hop

The AuthorToolBoxBlogHop is a monthly blog hop hosted by Raimey Gallant. The hop takes place on the third Wednesday of each month, and posts are on topics relevant to writers e.g. writing craft, editing, marketing, and publishing.

I participate in this Blog Hop as Christian Editing Services. I've yet to be convinced that fiction writers writing about writing is useful—the point of blogging is to connect with readers, which is why I participate with my editor persona.

7. Throwback Thursday

I see a lot of people using the #ThrowbackThursday or #TBT hashtag to recycle old posts. Renee at It's Book Talk has taken this one step further and organised it into a meme. A #ThrowbackThursday title can either be an old favourite (i.e. a recycled book review) or an older book that's been sitting on the To-Read pile for too long. Most book bloggers tend to focus on new or recent releases, so this is a way of getting some of those older must-read books actually read.

Note that not all #ThrowbackThursday bloggers are reviewing Christian fiction (most of the other memes I've mentioned are mostly or exclusively Christian fiction). I recycle a book review each Thursday and tag it as #TBT or #ThrowbackThursday, but I don't officially join the meme (which is hosted by Renee at It's Book Talk).

8. First Line Friday

The first line of a the book nearest you. The meme is hosted by Hoarding Books, and I participate. The posts are quick and easy to schedule, although commenting takes a little longer ... and my to-read pile grows by more books than I can manage thanks to the recommendations of the other participants. #BookWormProblems

Do you participate in any memes or blog hops? What's your favourite (as a reader or as a writer), and why?

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

Do I Have to Have a Blog? 4 Tips for Writers Who Hate Blogging.

By Iola Goulton | @IolaGoulton

I'm often asked this question. It seems that the very thought of marketing and platform building and blogging—especially blogging—strike fear into the heart of even the most intrepid writer. So they tell themselves they hate blogging. And don't blog.

Do authors have to have a platform? 

Yes. Your platform is how you sell books—it's your way of demonstrating authority in your chosen topic, and of developing relationships with current and potential readers.

And a blog is one of the typical components of an author platform. The others are:

• Website
• Email List
• Social Media

(If you know you need to start building your author platform but have no idea where to start, or if you've made a start but aren't sure if you're on the right track, you need to join my March Marketing Challenge: Kick Start Your Author Platform. Click here to check it out.)

It used to be said that non-fiction authors need to blog (as a way of establishing authority in your chosen field), but that fiction authors didn't. But opinion on this is changing, as a blog is a great way to establish a relationship with potential readers.

But don't let that frighten you off. Blogging isn't scary—at least, I don't think so. Although I might be lying to myself ...

In fact, I am lying to myself. Here's the big lie I tell myself:

Only one person is reading my posts.

My professional background is as a management consultant specialising in writing long and detailed reports (never mind the quality. Feel the weight!). Lots of long words and long sentences and long paragraphs. Plenty of passive voice. My early blog posts—even my book reviews—reflected that writing style. I still struggle with writing a swoof-y book review (swoof = squeezing words out of feelings).

So it was a good thing that only one person was reading my early posts. It gave me the opportunity to try, experiment, and improve. I know more than one person reads my posts now. But I still write as though only one person is going to read it. It frees me to write what I think needs to be written. And it helps me solidify what I need to include because I'm not writing for everyone. I'm writing for that one person.

(Note that the "one person" may change depending on what I'm writing. If you've ever read one of my posts and thought, "Wow. She could have been writing that for me!" ... maybe I was. Knowingly or unknowingly.)

Yes, I write for an audience of one. (Not One. He already knows!)

I've discovered a few secrets in writing and publishing over 1,000 blog posts in the last six years. Okay, so most of those were book reviews which some people say aren't real blog posts. But other people loathe writing book reviews. And Aunty Google sees them as blog posts, so they count.

Here are my four tips.

1.Think Positive

If you think you're going to hate blogging, you will. Conversely, if you think blogging regularly might be a fun challenge, it will be. If you really hate the idea of having a blog, call it something different: a journal, a diary, a magazine, a letter.

2. Find Your Voice

Blogging is great training for writing. It helps you find your writing voice. It gets you used to writing to a deadline and that's a good thing. I am a procrastinator. I say I work best with a deadline, but that just means I ignore everything that doesn't have a deadline (like, say, housework). It also means that the only way I can get anything done is by setting myself a deadline.

Blogging is perfect. I set myself regular weekly deadlines, and I achieve them (almost) every week. Plan. Write. Revise. Edit. Schedule. Promote.

The hardest part is getting started.

If you're seeking a traditional publisher, blogging regularly has the advantage of showing potential agents and publishers that you can write, and that you can write to a schedule.

3. Have a Plan

One of the most common complaints I hear about blogging is that people don't know what to write. Planning ahead helps. Jeff Goins suggests keeping a list of possible blog post topics. No pressure—just write down the topic and a few notes when inspiration hits. Later, go through your list of potential topics and pick one to write. Edit, and schedule.

I always use the schedule function. 

It means I can blog at the same time each week. When I'm on a blogging roll I can write two or more posts, then edit and schedule them to post over time. It's a much better approach than posting three days in a row, then not posting again for a month.

So pick a regular time to post, and stick with it.

4. Join a Meme

Joining a meme is an extension of having a plan. A blogging meme is where a group of bloggers post on a similar subject at a set time. The meme usually has a host, and all participating bloggers link back to the host's site (and from there, they can find other participants in the meme).

Many memes pose a question of some kind. The blogger answers the question, then asks visitors to answer the same question in the comments. This encourages participation, and is a great way of getting to know your readers.

More importantly, participating in a meme or blog hop a ready-made answer to the eternal question: what do I blog about? It's also a regular weekly or monthly blogging schedule, which Google likes.

I'll be back next week to share some of my favourite memes.

Do you blog? Why or why not?

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

11 Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post

By Iola Goulton

Some authors love blogging. Some loathe it. But an author blog is often considered a necessary part of an author platform (especially for non-fiction authors).

If we're going to put time and effort into blogging, let's do it properly. Here are my 11 Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post:

1. Plan Ahead

Yes, I know this sounds boring. But it will cut down on your blogging stress in two ways because it means you won’t be scrambling to write and edit a blog post at the last minute. Planning ahead also means you can write when the urge hits you … even if that’s several weeks ahead of your scheduled post date. As an example, I’m drafting this post on 22 November. I know December is going to be busy, so I’m trying to get ahead while I can.

For those of us who contribute to group blogs, planning and scheduling ahead of time makes life a lot easier for the blog admins. 

A missed post can take an hour or more of admin time in checking the blog, checking the schedule, contacting the other admins, contacting the blogger, waiting for an answer, and trying to find a substitute post.

I’m an administrator for two group blogs (this and International Christian Fiction Writers) as well as having two blogs of my own (Iola Goulton and Christian Editing Services). It gives me a good feeling to check the calendar on Monday morning and find all the posts are scheduled for the week. All I have to do is promote them (see point 10 below).

2. Find the Perfect Topic

Sometimes you’re writing a blog post with a specific goal in mind: to share a cover reveal, a pre-order, a new release, or a specific time-sensitive promotion. These are easy posts to plan and write ahead of schedule, and should be part of your regular book launch marketing plan.

Sometimes you’re writing a post that has to fit a particular theme. For example, here on Australasian Christian Writers, Monday is a craft post and Thursday is a book review. We're introducing something new for Tuesday's next year, and I'll talk a little about that in my next post (yes, planning ahead).

But more often you’re faced with a blank slate. I find those blank slate posts harder to write than when I’ve got a topic in mind. So … plan ahead. Plan out what topics you’d like to cover and when. Then you can write to cover those topics, or (if the muse hits you) you can write to please the muse.

What makes a great blog post topic? I suggest:

• Something that interests you (so you’re going to enjoy writing it)
• Something that’s not going to date quickly (so you can continue to promote the post in the future).
• Something that’s relevant to your target audience. You do know your target audience, right? Do they ever ask questions? Yes? Then write an answer. You’re likely to get the same questions over and over, and having the answer in a blog post means you can direct future askers to the post.

(Kick Start Your Author Platform has more great tips on choosing the perfect post topic.)

3. Write at least 300 words

One of our objectives as writers is to be read. Which means writing words people want to read. But first people have to find what you’ve written. This means making your blog post as appealing to Google (and other search engines) as it is to your target reader.

Which means writing a blog post that’s at least 300 words long. More words are better, but only if they are good words. No padding!

(P.S. In a group blog, that's 300 or more words of content. Not 300 words including your bio.)

4. Make Your Post Scannable

As you write, make your post scannable. Many people read blog posts via a reader (such as Feedly), or on a mobile or tablet.

In an online world, scannable equals readable.

To make your blog post scannable:

• Use short paragraphs (no more than four lines).
• Use headings and subheadings.
• Use bullet points or lists where relevant. Like here.

5. Ask a Question

As bloggers, we need to engage our readers, to keep them coming back. A great way of doing this is to ask a question.

This could be like my Bookish Question, or like #FirstLineFriday posts (what’s the first line of the book nearest you?).

Or you could ask a question that’s relevant to theme of your post. If the post is sharing your favourite novels, ask your readers their favourite novels. If you’re about Christmas, ask your readers to share their favourite Christmas memory. You get the idea.

The blogs I enjoy reading most are generally conversations where the comments are as important as the blog itself. So work out how you can turn your blog post into a conversation.

6. Revise. Edit. Proofread

We’re writers. We can do this. (If you can’t, Christian Editing Services can help you!)

7. Add a Killer Title

Feedly delivers me over 100 blog posts every single day. I don’t have time to read 100 blog posts. No one does. So how do I decide which posts to read? Based on the title.

Some people don’t want to use clickbaity titles such as 11 Tips for Writing a Great Blog Post. However, it’s only clickbaity if the post doesn’t actually deliver on the promise (or makes you click through 32 screens to get the 11 points).

Also, I’m reliably informed (thanks, Margie Lawson) that people subconsciously like numbered posts, because the numbers show us how much longer until the end of the post (not long now, people).

8. Include a Relevant Image

People like images. Search engines like images. Social media likes images—experts will tell you posts with images get more attention.

Include images. (But make sure you are using them legally.)

Your main image should be centred at the very top of the post. This is the image Blogger will pick up for social media shares (if you use WordPress, you can select a Featured Image. WordPress will display that at the top of your post, and use it for social media shares).

Intersperse images throughout a longer post—it breaks up the text and makes it more readable. 

Use design software such as Canva to brand your images, so your images stand out to someone randomly scanning through Feedly. And include your killer title with your image—that will help when you’re sharing to visual sites like Instagram and Pinterest (see 10, below).

If you’re posting on a group blog like ACW, include your author photo, bio, and social media links at the bottom of the post.

9. Add Your Byline

Tell your readers who wrote the post. This is especially important if you’re writing for a group blog with multiple contributors. Some people will choose to read the post because you wrote it. Make it easy for them to know they want to read this post.

10. Promote Promote Promote

Note: promote promote promote does not mean spam spam spam.

Promoting means sharing your post with your target audience using relevant social networks.

If your post is about your multi-author romance giveaway, share in places where romance readers congregate (hint: not LinkedIn).

I use Buffer to share to Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter—Buffer's Power Scheduler means I can even schedule multiple posts at once. A few clicks, and it’s done, with a unique message for each network (e.g. one or two #hashtags on Twitter, but more on Instagram).

Why these networks?

• For my reader-writer-reviewer posts, my target reader is on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Many are also on Twitter, and it takes only a few extra seconds to get Buffer to share to Twitter as well.
• For my writer-editor posts, my target audience is on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. The beauty of Pinterest is that people can follow specific Boards, so people who aren’t interested in writing can choose not to follow my writing-related Boards.

I share on Google+ because that is indexed for SEO purposes. Translated: sharing to Google+ means Google is more likely to show my blog post (or Google+ share) to someone who is searching for posts on my topic.

The other reason for sharing or promoting is that some blog posts get more traction on social media than on the actual blog. For example, my weekly Bookish Question often gets no comments on the actual blog post, but always gets Likes and Comments on Facebook and Instagram (especially Instagram).

One request: if you’re a member of a group blog like ACW or ICFW, consider using a programme like Buffer to share everyone’s posts, not just your own. Because this is a community. Let’s work together and help each other.

11. Engage

You finished your blog post with a question, right? Now it’s important to check back and make sure you respond to answers (and other comments). And don’t forget to check your social media networks and respond to comments there as well.

Readers want to connect, to engage. That means responding to comments in a timely manner.

That’s it. My top blogging tips. Is there anything you don’t understand or you’d like more information on? Or anything you’d like to add? Let me know in the comments.

If even the thought of establishing a blog or an author platform fills you with dread … I can help. Click here to sign up to be notified about my March Marketing Challenge: Kick Start Your Author Platform.

About Iola Goulton

Iola Goulton is a New Zealand book reviewer, freelance editor, and author, writing contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist. She is a member of the Sisterhood of Unpronounceable Names (Iola is pronounced yo-la, not eye-ola and definitely not Lola).

Iola holds a degree in marketing, has a background in human resource consulting, and currently works as a freelance editor. When she’s not working, Iola is usually reading or writing her next book review. Iola lives in the beautiful Bay of Plenty in New Zealand (not far from Hobbiton) with her husband, two teenagers and one cat. She is currently working on her first novel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter

How to Use Images in Blog Posts (Legally)

By Iola Goulton

We are visual people, and we love images. As the old adage says, a picture tells a thousand words. Our society has become more and more image-based. Advertising uses images to sell to us. We judge books by their covers. We flock to image-based social media networks such as Instagram and Pinterest, while even Facebook and Twitter prioritise posts with images over text-only posts.

Images in blog posts can be a great way to break up the text and make the reading experience more user friendly. But we can’t just use any image.

Using Images Online

Many people will tell you that you can copy and use any image you find online. Others will tell you certain images or photographs are copyright-free.

They are wrong, as some bloggers have discovered at great cost.

All images on the internet are copyright.

Even photographs of old paintings. The paintings themselves are no longer under copyright, but the photographs are. Using these images without permission is a breach of copyright, in the same way as pirating a book or a movie is a breach of copyright.

Copyright is a form of intellectual property. It means the creator of a piece of content owns that content (apart from exceptions like a work for hire arrangement, which means your employer probably owns the copyright to any content you produce as a part of your normal employee duties).

As a blogger and writer, you want people to respect your copyright rights. You don’t want to find someone has pirated your ebook, plagiarised your paperback, or copied your blog post verbatim.

So it’s only fair that you need to respect the copyright rights of other creators—writers, illustrators, photographers, anyone who creates copyrighted material and shares it online or in real life.

This means you need to make sure you have the right to use any and all images.

Images You Can Use on Blog Posts

Your Own Photographs

If you took the photograph, you own the copyright, and you’re usually safe to use the picture. The exception might be if you’re using a picture of a famous building—some buildings are trademarked and can’t be reproduced commercially (e.g. on a book cover) without permission.

For example, the London Eye can be included as part of a skyline shot, but can’t be the main focus pf the photo. Nor can you use photographs taken from inside the Eye without permission. And while photographs of the Eiffel Tower in daytime are permissible, photographs of the nightly illuminations are not—they are copyrighted.

Note that you have to take the photo yourself in order to own the copyright and the right to use the picture. If a monkey takes a photo on your camera, the monkey may own the copyright on the image (Seriously. The court case is ongoing).

Photos You Own

You can use photos taken by someone else, but for which you have purchased the rights. If you plan to use the image commercially (e.g. on a book cover), make sure your contract includes commercial rights (and check the number of copies, and whether it includes Print on Demand). If the photo includes a model, make sure the photographer has the correct model release form.

Rights to photographs taken by someone else may be exclusive—or not. An exclusive right means the photographer can’t sell that image to anyone else. Non-exclusive rights may mean “your” cover image shows up on other books.

Free Photos from Stock Sites

You can find free photos at sites like Canva, MorgueBay, Pixabay and Unsplash. These sites use a Creative Commons 0 (zero) licence, which means:

you can copy, modify, distribute and use the photos for free, including commercial purposes, without asking permission from or providing attribution to the photographer

Other sites might require you to ask permission and/or provide attribution to the photographer and/or site. Check what acknowledgement is required the first time you use a new site, and get it right.

Canva has a list of 73 sites offering free photos. As an added bonus, they’ve ranked the sites in terms of the size of the gallery, searchability, and whether attribution is required.

Photos from Paid Stock Sites

There are many stock photography sites offering a range of images, at a range of prices. Most stock sites will allow you to download a watermarked version of the image for free, but you shouldn’t use this version for your blog post. When it comes to blog posts, you need to ensure you get the official version, the one with no watermarks.

Charges for photos vary by site, and depend on the size of the photo, and the intended use. A book cover needs a high-resolution photo, and needs a commercial licence that covers all formats of the book, and a large number of copies. A blog post only needs a low-resolution photo (which is quicker to load).

Most paid stock sites charge per download, and some charge more for better-quality photos. Some sites offer credits or bundles, with the unit cost decreasing the more you buy. Some sites operate on a subscription model.

GraphicStock

I use GraphicStock.com, which costs USD 89 for an annual subscription, and has a free trial before you have to pay. There is nothing stopping you from downloading a year’s worth of images in your trial period, then cancelling. Their selection isn’t as big as some of the more expensive sites, and they don’t have many images that would be suitable for book covers. But it’s a great resource for images for blog posts or memes.

Lightstock

I also use Lightstock—it’s great for cheese-free Christian images. It is a paid site, but you can sign up to their email newsletter and they’ll send you a link to their free download of the week. This is a cost-effective way of building up a library of photos suitable for Bible memes or photos to accompany devotional posts. The only catch is we all get the same free photo each week—there is no choice. But it’s free (unless you want to pay as you go or subscribe), and the images are beautiful.

The Fair Use Exception to Copyright Law

The doctrine of fair use is entrenched in copyright law, and does allow copyrighted content to be used under certain conditions. For example, it’s acceptable to quote from another author’s work or reproduce small amounts of graphic or pictorial material for the purposes of review or criticism.

The same fair use exceptions apply for images as they do for written content. But the application is a little different. I can’t copy someone else’s book cover. But I might be able to purchase the same photo they used from a stock photo site, which will mean our covers have a similar look. Yes, this is why big publishers spend big bucks on customised photo shoots for book covers.

I can (and do) use thumbnail images book covers in memes. This may or may not be permissible under the doctrine of fair use. My view is that I’m promoting other authors, and there is no commercial benefit to me. If an author or publisher asked me to stop promoting them in this way, I would.

(Note: This is not legal advice. I’m not a lawyer. I’ve never played one on TV. This is my interpretation of the doctrine of fair use, based on my reading of the Chicago Manual of Style, and blog posts written by lawyers. Caveat Emptor.)

Do you use images on your blog posts? Where do you obtain your images?

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nzto download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
Facebook (Author)
Facebook (Editing)
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

When life intervenes

I am sure many of you have experienced times in your life when, for one reason or another, writing has had to take a back seat. We may want to lock ourselves away and get on with our work in progress, yet other responsibilities or life events intervene to make that impossible.

Towards the end of March, my husband and I went away for a few days, to enable some much-needed renovations to be done to our old house. We arrived home to a new, almost completed kitchen—but also found a letter, telling us a three bedroom unit had become available in a nearby Village complex. We decided to take it—it was just what we wanted.

That same week, our house went on the market. Eleven days later, without our planned auction ever taking place, it sold.

On 26^th May, we moved into our lovely unit, after two hectic months of sorting, packing and cleaning. Then we busied ourselves unpacking everything, exploring our new environment and shopping for various household items. It was exhilarating to be able to create a pleasant, new living space and especially to see my new study take shape, just as I wanted it. I enjoyed it all.

But now at last, I am beginning to feel I can allow myself to remember I am a writer! Yes, speaking in various places and minding grandchildren continue apace, as they have throughout our move, but I know there will be those available hours ahead when I can again let the words flow and endeavour to shape them into a novel.

Yet, even in the midst of all our comings and goings these past months, I did not stop writing completely. At the outset, I made the decision to continue my weekly personal blog because, after all, it was not as if I had nothing to say. Everywhere around me, God seemed to have caused so many things to fall into place. And I wanted to share my joy in it all and the lessons I was learning, hopefully blessing others in the process. I also kept on writing in my journal about things that impacted me from God’s Word and from life in general. I knew I had to keep that God connection firm and sure, through all the changes in our lives, and allow God to unfold things at just the right pace.

All these recent experiences of mine have caused me to reflect more on this challenge to writers to keep on writing. Things happen. Life intervenes. And, in the midst of it all, we can get so frustrated, unless we remember that nothing takes God by surprise and that God has not forgotten us. It can be a struggle, can’t it, to find time to let those creative juices flow and not to give up the whole enterprise? But in these times, let’s take a step back and remember we belong to an amazing God who holds us close through it all and will direct our paths, watching over us all the way. And ... let’s keep on writing too!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.   Proverbs 3:5-6

Jo-Anne Berthelsen lives in Sydney but grew up in Brisbane. She holds degrees in Arts and Theology and has worked as a high school teacher, editor and secretary, as well as in local church ministry. Jo-Anne is passionate about touching hearts and lives through the written and spoken word. She is the author of six published novels and two non-fiction works, ‘Soul Friend’ and ‘Becoming Me’. Jo-Anne is married to a retired minister and has three grown-up children and four grandchildren. For more information, please visit www.jo-anneberthelsen.com.

An Update on our Blog

by Narelle Atkins

History of ACW

Our Australasian Christian Writers (ACW) blog launched in September 2013. During the last three and a half years we've published 924 posts and received 9880 comments. 

Our ACW Facebook group has 511 members. The ACW blog posts are shared in the Facebook Group and we encourage our blog readers to join our active Facebook Group.

ACW was set up as an online community for writers and readers. We post five days per week, Monday to Friday, on the blog and we promote Australasian Christian authors and books.

ACW Blog Schedule

Monday is our Writing Craft Day. We want to help and educate writers at all different stages in their writing journeys.

This week I'm working with group admins Iola Goulton and Jenny Blake to set up our blog calendar for May - August 2017. If there's a particular writing topic you'd like to see addressed in our Monday posts, please leave a comment on this post or in our Facebook group.

On the first Monday of each month we share a joint blog post with our friends at Christian Writers Downunder. In 2017 we're looking at genres. 

Iola Goulton posted in February on Great (Genre) Expectations...

Adam Collings posted in March on Exploring Genres: Space Opera and Supehero     

We do a few different things on Tuesdays. We promote the Australian Christian Readers Blog Alliance (ACRBA) book tours. ACRBA offers free blog tours for authors which are scheduled during the first week of the month.

Please read Jenny Blake's recent blog post (link below) if you're not familiar with ACRBA and how it works. 

The ACRBA Blog Alliance Needs Your Help

We also announce New Australasian Book Releases on the first or second Tuesday of each month. We post monthly requests for new book release information in our ACW Facebook Group.

The President of Omega Writers Inc. posts on our blog on the last Tuesday in January, April, July and October.  

On Tuesdays we also have spots available for guest bloggers. 

Thursday is our Book Review Day. Iola Goulton organises the book review blog posting schedule.

On Wednesdays and Fridays our regular team of bloggers share their posts.

How can I guest blog on ACW?

We occasionally post requests in the ACW Facebook Group for guest bloggers. If you'd like to guest blog on ACW, please contact one of the group admins (myself, Jenny Blake, Iola Goulton) or leave a comment on this post or in the ACW Facebook Group.

How can I join ACW as a regular blogger?

The first step toward becoming a regular blog contributor is to guest blog with us. If you've guest blogged with us and would like to join our blogging team, please contact one of the group admins. We have limited spots and we will create a waiting list if needed. 

Questions?

If you have any questions about ACW, please leave a comment on this post. We appreciate feedback from our blog readers. 

Reader Question: Should I Hire Someone to Build my Social Media Presence?

By Iola Goulton

An agent liked my manuscript, but said I needed to build my social media presence before he’d consider representing me. I work full time. Should I hire someone?

Short answer: Maybe. 

Long answer …

Maybe. It depends on what your agent means by a social media presence, the kind of books you write and plan to write, on your brand, and on what God wants for your writing.

Let me explain.

I don’t have an agent. I’m not seeking representation from an agent. (I’ll tell you why some other time, if you’re interested.) I’ve lurked on a lot of agent blogs over the years, and one thing I’ve found is that agents are all different.

• Some only accept electronic submissions; some only accept paper.
• Some want a query letter first, others think a query letter is a waste of time and want a full proposal.
• Some seem to think numbers are the only important aspect of a writer’s platform, others make no mention of the subject.

That’s an extended way of saying that for every agent who reads this blog post and thinks I’ve got something right, another will think I’ve got it wrong. The right answer to this question depends very much on the agent you’re talking about.

What is a Social Media Presence?

If your agent thinks a good social media presence is 100,000 engaged Twitter followers, then I can make some suggestions. Start by reading Rayne Hall’s book on building your Twitter following, and implement her suggestions. Then read Ian Sutherland’s book. He built a following of over 100,000 people in around a year, and he offers support services to help other authors do the same. That might be something you could consider … but only if that’s what your dream agent is thinking of.

What does this agent expect in terms of building your social media presence?

But this might not be what your dream agent means. So you need to know what he means before you invest your time or your money in developing a social media presence. Does he mean social media or does he mean a platform—your entire online presence including social media, your website, and your email list?

Also, what manuscript did you submit that he liked?

• Fiction or non-fiction?
• What genre?
• Was it written for adults, teenagers, or children?

You’ve got the basics of a social media presence although it could do with refreshing, updating, and perhaps expanding (depending on your book):

• Website and a blog (although they should be combined onto one site).
• Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.

You also need to consider developing an email list and regular newsletter to subscribers, as this might be what your agent is looking for).

Build Your Brand

But how you do this will depend on what you are writing, and who you are writing for. You need to decide who you are, and build your author brand around that persona. Then you need to attract and engage with potential readers.

I believe you should do this yourself.

Because you can’t hire someone to tell you who you are.

Once you know who you are and who you want to be online, you can hire someone to help you broadcast that message. But you’re going to have to do some of the hard work up front.

It’s generally agreed that a non-fiction author needs more of an author platform to interest an agent than a fiction author. That’s especially true in the case of true-life stories—for example, I’ve read that agents aren’t interested in cancer stories. They’re all too common.

Once you’ve decided who you are, and once you know what kind of platform your dream agent wants you to build, then you have another decision: is that what you want to do? Is it what God wants you to be doing? (I ask because your social media profiles make it clear you’re a Christian.)

Should you hire someone to build your social media presence?

The answer is going to depend on the answers to other questions:

• What does this agent mean by “build a social media presence”? This is the most important question.
• What manuscript is he interested in? What’s the genre? Is this the same as the books you’ve previously published, or different?
• What is your brand? In other words, who are you? How do you want people to see you?
• What does God want for your writing? Is this closed door a challenge for you to get past, or is it a door God doesn’t want you to open? Is chasing this agent God’s plan for you and your writing?
• How much is hiring someone going to cost? What results will you get? Is that return on your investment worth it to you?
• Could you find a way to do this yourself, perhaps by investing in online tools such as Buffer or Hootsuite?

Once you've answered those questions, then you can get back to your original question: should you hire someone?

I suspect the answer is no.

That might change in a couple of weeks or a couple of months, when you find the answers to some of my other questions. By then, I suspect, the answer to your original question will be obvious.

If you’ve got a question you’d like me to answer in a future blog post, please email me via www.christianediting.co.nz/contact, or tag @iolagoulton on Twitter.

About Iola Goulton

I am a freelance editor specialising in Christian fiction. Visit my website at www.christianediting.co.nz to download a comprehensive list of publishers of Christian fiction. 

I also write contemporary Christian romance with a Kiwi twist—find out more at www.iolagoulton.com.

You can also find me on:
Facebook (Author)
Facebook (Editing)
Instagram
Pinterest
Twitter

Writers Supporting Writers ~ Group Blogs

By Narelle Atkins

I’m a big fan of group blogs, and blogging in general. Blogs provide a platform for writers to share and interact with readers. Blogging platforms are public and accessible to everyone who has a web browser. Unlike other social media platforms, the blog reader has full control over the blog post content they can access online. They can also choose how they want to read and interact with different blog posts.

Writing group blogs are a fun way to network and meet other writers and readers. They provide an opportunity for writers to hone their article writing skills. They also provide an opportunity to create an online community that’s inspiring, supportive, and encouraging. A community that is welcoming, inclusive, and works together to achieve a common goal.

How can you support your group blogs? 

1) Participation 

Being an active member of group blog is a great first step. This may involve joining a group blog as regular member of the blog posting team, guest blogging, commenting on blog posts, and sharing blog posts on social media. 

Australasian Christian Writers (ACW) has an active Facebook Group that’s linked to the blog. The Monday-Friday blog posts are shared in the ACW Facebook Group. We welcome guest bloggers and we also invite writers who have guest blogged to join our blogging team if a regular posting spot becomes available.

2) Commenting on blog posts

Last year Paula Vince shared an excellent post on her personal blog titled Why don’t we leave comments on blogs? Ironically, her blog post has 70 comments. I encourage you to read her post and comments if you haven’t seen it. Paula tackles the elephant in the room and covers this topic in-depth.

Blog post comments are one way you can support other writers. Sometimes we can over think what to write in a comment. A simple thank you or a few words of encouragement can mean a lot to the author of the post who has invested time and effort in writing the post.

I believe it’s important for all of us to consider taking a step outside our comfort zone by reaching out and commenting on blog posts written by Bloggers who we don’t know. This is how we can create a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive blog community. If we only comment on group blog posts written by our friends, the group blog could look like a clique to readers who follow the blog posts and notice the pattern in the comments.

Blog comments provide a chance to give feedback to the author of the post. If there are no blog post comments, the author may assume their post isn’t engaging or reaching their target audience. Writers may quit blogging if they think no one is reading their posts.

3) Sharing blog posts

Many of us have busy lives and find it hard to schedule time to read blog posts. This can be more difficult if the blog post content is outside our area of interest.

We can support the authors of blog posts by sharing their posts on social media. Wordpress offers an option for blog readers to like blog posts. Liking a blog post is a fast and easy way to show an author that you value their blog post. Carolyn Miller recently wrote an excellent blog post titled Please Like Me! that explores the question of why people don’t press like on Facebook posts.

Blogger and Wordpress have made it easy to share blog posts on social media. For the examples below I’ve taken screenshots from Iola’s ACW blog post on Monday.

• M symbol – Email the blog post link to a friend via Blogger. You need to have a Blogger profile to access this option. 

• B symbol – Blog This. You need a Blogger blog to reblog the content. 

• T symbol – Share to Twitter. A fast and easy way to tweet the blog post to your Twitter followers. The blog post text is automatically created, and all you need to do is sign into Twitter and press share. 

• F symbol – Share to Facebook. You can share the blog post to your Facebook profile timeline, a Facebook group, or a Facebook page you manage. 

• P symbol – Post to Pinterest. You have the option to select the boards where you want to pin the post. 

• G symbol – Share to Google+. Pressing the G symbol creates a ‘plus one’ (which is the equivalent of a like) and the option to share the post to your Google+ profile. Last year I wrote a blog post for ACW on Google+ ~ Is it relevant and useful for writers?

I share group blog posts via Buffer and Social Jukebox. Please see Iola Goulton’s ACW post How to be on Twitter 24/7 Without Being on Twitter 24/7 to learn more about sharing blog posts using social media tools. 

My daily routine for social media group blog post sharing

I use the paid version of Buffer and share group blog posts to 1) Twitter 2) Google+ profile and 3) Facebook Author Page (if the content is relevant to my target audience). 

I may not have the time to read the daily posts from my list of group blogs, but I can find five or ten minutes each day to support the writers by sharing their blog posts on social media. 

Is there something new you can try to encourage and support the writers of group blog posts? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

A fun loving Aussie girl at heart, NARELLE ATKINS was born and raised on the beautiful northern beaches in Sydney, Australia. She has settled in Canberra with her husband and children. A lifelong romance reader, she found the perfect genre to write when she discovered inspirational romance. Narelle's contemporary stories of faith and romance are set in Australia.

Website: http://www.narelleatkins.com

Blog: http://narelleatkins.wordpress.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NarelleAtkinsAuthor

Twitter: @NarelleAtkins https://twitter.com/NarelleAtkins