Blessings and Good Wishes

Merry Christmas to all -- and to 2011, a Good Night!

I spent the holiday with my favorite members of the under-four set...













...and a quiet Christmas Day looking back over the year and evaluating my choices...



...thanking Him for the blessings, and summoning up the gratitude for the lessons.

As we regroup and head into 2012, I pray that each one of you is blessed with good health, new opportunities, prosperity, success, and the joy that comes with knowing that you are not in control...and don't have to be.












Love to each and every one of you!

A Message from Sandie (and Sophie)

Story Junkie or Prepared Novelist?

I normally post a new entry to the blog on Sundays. Every now and then, inspiration will hit and I'll start working on it early, but most weeks I grab a cup of my favorite coffee and I sit down and work on my post after church services, and it's normally published by early afternoon.

Yesterday, however, a pressing deadline loomed and I spent most of the day working on a detailed cover design form for a book I haven't yet written. In fact, I sold said book based on a paragraph of information. Normally, this cover design part of the publishing process comes well after the book is written, so providing details about location, tone, characters and key elements of the novel required quite a bit of brain stamina.

The only thing I had to depend on was the paragraph I'd written, so I read it again and again...until solid characters and threads of the story began to emerge. I browsed stock photos for inspiration on my hero and heroine, and I scrolled through Amazon's Kindle store for covers that jumped out at me. It took most of the day to fill out the one-page form of questions that publishers require in order to create a cover that will set the tone of my book and appeal to my readers.

I'm normally very much a seat-of-the-pants writer. I'll see someone at the bank, or overhear a conversation at the store...and a new book begins to emerge inside my head. I'll spend several days making general notes, designing a few key scenes that sum up my story and characters, and creating a complete pitch that might sell the book. If it does, I write the first three chapters before I even create character sketches for the main players. Then...something breaks loose.

I become a bit like a junkie out on a bender: I brew up some coffee, stock the pantry with healthy snacks, get out my supply of Writer Clothes (a couple of oversized tees, sweat pants and a scrunchie for my hair), and I'm OFF! I hardly come up for air again for the next couple of months. Friends know that this is not a time for social calls. She's writing.

It's exhilarating! A friend of mine calls it "Sandie's All-or-Nothing Method," and I suppose she's right. There's no balance whatsoever. I'm lost. In my story and my characters, in the world I've created around them, and in delivering satisfaction to my readers. Utterly lost, swimming around in my book until my brain is pruny with delight.

But yesterday, after spending so much time spinning a world around my simple little paragraph, I actually dreamed about the characters and their story last night. Bear in mind that I am currently working on another book, and I'm not ready to write this new one yet. Despite the fact that it is calling to me like a church bell clanging at the back door.

This morning, it occurs to me that I might want to hold on to that little blank form and pull it out before my next project; maybe spend a day filling it out and getting to know my characters and their world before I ever start to write. Maybe characters don't have to unfold before my eyes to surprise and delight me. Maybe there's something to this idea of carefully crafting them before they ever hit the page.

Have I been doing it WRONG all this time?!

Yesterday may have been a little like rehab for my writer self. I started to question my behavior as a writer, evaluate my process. Somehow, I learned that there are other ways to go about this writing thing, more organized and thoughtful ways that might bring out a different kind of creativity.

But would I still spontaneously fall in love with my heroes, revel in my heroines with complete surprised abandon? Would it be as much FUN?

What do you think? When you approach a large and important project, do you dive in like a junkie with your whole heart and every spare moment until it's complete? Or do you slowly prepare and carefully step into it?

What Does Your Name Mean?

The pastor talked this morning about the many names of Christ, and how it used to be that babies were given names that represented them, or that the parents hoped they would grow into. The meaning of my name is "warrior; defender of men." This made me laugh because my mother was forever lamenting over my tendency to take up for the underdog. I wonder how many times I heard, "This isn't your battle. Let them take care of it themselves!" But I could never do it. An injustice, whether my own or someone else's, always cuts right to the bone. Apparently, I lived up to my name.

I've been chatting this week with a dear, sweet friend who is going through a horrible time. Pregnant with her second child, she and her husband were told that the little girl inside her belly had been diagosed with a fatal neural birth defect called anencephaly, a cephalic disorder that results from a neural tube defect that occurs when the cephalic (head) end of the neural tube fails to close, usually between the 23rd and 26th day of pregnancy, resulting in the absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp.

I've had several miscarriages, but many years ago I carried a child to almost six months before losing her. We'd already given her a name (Brianne, meaning high and noble); we'd purchased some furniture and laid out a plan for the nursery. Talking to my friend took me straight back to those days, brought the pain right to the surface, pushing back the restraints of time. And then I realized how much more difficult it must be for my friend to carry the child to full term, deliver her, and barely get to know her before having to say good-bye. My heart ached.

This morning, after hearing the message about the meaning of names, I looked up my friend's name. Maegan. It means "pearl." How apt is that to describe Maegan. On Wikipedia, it states that "the pearl has become a metaphor for something very rare, fine, admirable, and valuable." This describes my friend perfectly.

Maegan writes: "Jeremy & I haven't been able to help but have several 'proud parent moments' due to the impact that baby Ella has had in so many lives during her short moments of life than we have had in my entire lifetime. Our hope, born of suffering has produced more perseverance than we ever thought possible. So my prayer over the past week has and will continue to be, Father, please continue to bring me along so that I can rejoice in my sufferings because I know that suffering produces perseverance and perseverance, hope (Romans 5:3). You are the Creator and Sustainer of all things. Please transform my thorn into a flower. Bring sunshine after the rain..."

Losing a child is heart-wrenching. It's one of those things that no one else can fully understand if they haven't experienced it. But to lose a baby to a thief like anencephaly ... to carry her to full term and still not go home with her in your arms ... to know that another child -- sweet Emmalyn, still a baby herself -- needs you to keep it together ... and to somehow manage to grab hold of your faith in God through it ... Now, that's a miracle.

I hope you will take the time to visit Maegan's blog to read about the journey she and Jeremy have traveled this year. It's my belief that you will marvel at the backbone of their faith ... and I know that you will be inspired, as I am.

"As physical healing slowly comes," Maegan writes, "I am realizing that emotional healing will take so much more time than I had prepared myself for. "Pick me up off the floor" moments are numerous and as I trust not in the merit of my own strength, I am being awakened more each day to the realization of how much I need Him... how much I need hope."

My prayer today is that the power of Jesus Christ will make manifest the hope that Maegan and Jeremy so desperately seek, that His love will fuse their hearts back together, and that His grace will carry them through to the other side of this dark valley. Join me in praying for them, won't you?

COFFEE CHAT: Adding a Visual Element to the Marketing of Your Book

I recently had the opportunity to sit in a room with several creative types like myself, and the exchange of ideas and information really inspired me. I walked away wishing every author had the chance to experience something like that on a regular basis as a way to rejuvenate perspective and sharpen skills. That afternoon is the inspiration for a new monthly feature on this blog where a couple of professionals will discuss details and tips regarding some aspect of publishing. Publishers and publicists, readers and writers; there’s something to learn from every corner!

So grab a cuppa and listen in on COFFEE CHAT with myself, Julie Dowd (Senior Publicist at Abingdon Press) and Marian Miller (Producer of author interviews and book trailers at Marian Creates). Today’s topic is the use of trailers to add a visual element to marketing your book.

SANDIE: I had a conversation with an author bud this week about trailers and how to use them to sell your book. I know so many writers who maintain that, in the big picture, a trailer doesn’t do anything significant to increase sales, but I couldn’t disagree more. In fact, I think they play a key role in the marketing plan. If the trailer is a bad one or doesn’t hold a viewer’s interest, it presents the book as uninteresting as well. In so many ways, I think it’s worse to have a bad or confusing trailer than to not have one at all. But to have a good one -- that's gold.

MARIAN: Well, you know I agree with that! In fact, the main objective I like to keep in mind as I work with an author to design a sneak peek into their book is that it’s going to be one of the most important things they can do to entice a reader. I like to think of my contribution as a visual press release.

SANDIE: That’s a great way to put it, and I agree wholeheartedly. I think the book trailer equates to a receptionist in the front office of your own business. She better have great references, she better be punctual, and she better present the best first impression possible for prospective clients because you might not get another chance.

MARIAN: In a recent LA Times article [by Richard Verrier, November 9, 2011], filmmaker Chris Roth said, “It's becoming less and less common to buy books by their cover. It's more about showing eye candy to reel them in.”

SANDIE: Speaking from experience, you definitely provide that eye candy in the trailers you do, Marian. I’ve gotten an enormous amount of positive feedback from all avenues -- from readers to retailers and publishers -- in regard to the ones you’ve done for me.

JULIE: And they don’t have to always be high concept. I like Sandie’s author interview where she talks about her writing, and it leads into her most recent trailer. [To view, click HERE.]

SANDIE: Marian actually did them both; the trailer AND the author interview. The feedback has been tremendous. One of my favorites out there is Brandilyn Collins' author interview where she tells why she writes "Seatbelt Suspense." Everything about it, from music to the camera shots, identify her brand, and it makes the viewer really want to read her books.

JULIE: I’ve also seen some really good ones that are simple, like THIS ONE where an author chats about her latest book.

SANDIE: Right! I’ve seen a few of those where I thought how genius they were in their simplicity. And you know the overall cost was really reasonable because they probably shot the footage with their own Flip camera, and then turned it over to a professional to edit it and add the bookends.

MARIAN: That’s one way I’m able to offer such a good rate to my clients. Authors can provide video they’ve shot themselves, or I use stock photos and video clips, and the author writes the script. I firmly believe that no one knows their book and the characters in it better than the writer! It’s a completely collaborative process.

SANDIE: That should certainly be the plan. But recently, a writer friend told me a story about paying $2,500 for a professional filmmaker to put together a trailer for his high concept book, and the final product only remotely resembled his novel.

JULIE: You don't have to spend a lot of money. I've worked on trailers that cost $2000, but I've also created one for $50. Check out THIS PROMO VIDEO I did for our Christian Living titles at Abingdon Press. This was done through Animoto. All I did was upload cover images, typed in text, and picked the music. There are other sites like Animoto.com such as stupeflix.com, photoshow.com and more.

SANDIE: What are some more tips you both would offer authors who are thinking about creating a “visual press release,” as Marian puts it?

JULIE: The first thing I would say is to keep your trailer to no more than two minutes. One minute to a minute and a half is ideal.

MARIAN: Exactly! Often, I’ll receive a script from an author that will bring the finished product in at three minutes or more. I usually try my best to explain the marketing purpose of the trailer and, if I can, discourage them from telling every detail of the story with that one tool.

JULIE: Right. It's not necessary to tell the complete summary of the book. Consider movie trailers; how many times have you decided to see a movie based on a 90-second trailer? Sometimes you're not even sure exactly what the movie is about, but the trailer is produced in such way that it pulls you in. Think of quick phrases that would entice or intrigue readers to want to buy your book. HERE is a really good example of that.

SANDIE: I think the author can do a disservice to their efforts by over-selling their story.

MARIAN: At the same time, they have to really communicate those details to the person producing their book trailer. For instance, my typical style is clean and simple. But the author may want something completely different, and it's important that I know their expectations and hopes for the finished product. What kind of book have they written? And who are their readers? What style will best represent that author to his or her readers?

JULIE: That’s so true. Take some time to talk with the person before they begin working on the trailer. Let them know how you see the end product in your head and what you want viewers to take away from it. Do you want them to get goosebumps, teary-eyed, or giggly? You'd be surprised what can happen in a 90-second trailer. Ask the person to share their ideas with you about the trailer before they begin creating it. The best experiences with these things come when you work together to create something you're both happy with. Plus, you don't want them to get too far into the process and realize it's not exactly what you wanted. Also, ask them if they will help you promote the finished piece. Perhaps they have a website, YouTube channel, and social media channels geared toward showcasing their creations.

MARIAN: It’s so important to give me all of those details up front so there will be no surprises. The great thing about working with Sandie on her trailers is that she’s so organized and communicates clearly about what she wants. And if I don’t quite meet those expectations, she feels comfortable enough to tell me right away so I can adjust my thinking and give her something that she feels really represents her. Often, an author tries so hard to be polite that they fail to get the most important points across.

SANDIE: Yeah, I guess that’s not a challenge of mine.

MARIAN: (laughing) No. It’s not.

JULIE: If an author hires someone to create their video, they should provide examples of trailers that they believe do a great job of selling a book. Also, provide them with songs that have the style they're looking for.

SANDIE: So what do you both think is the MOST IMPORTANT THING an author should keep in mind?

MARIAN: I suppose, as a business owner, I would say it’s important to remember that the money you spend on a solid, professional trailer is an investment in your future. Of course you want to be frugal; but don’t pinch pennies either. This is a valuable and necessary business expense, and you want to get the best product that you can.

SANDIE: I remember a conversation I had with Maegan Roper when she was in Julie’s role at Abingdon, and she said that, when you have just five minutes with a retailer and you want to convince them that THIS is the book they want to buy, nothing says it better than a well-done 90-second video trailer. I was already a believer in trailers as a marketing tool, but that put me over the edge from producing them myself on Animoto to investing a little more with someone like Marian with the mad skills that I don’t have.

JULIE: I think the most important thing to remember is that this is your book, and the trailer is a representation of it. Be very specific when thinking about imagery, text, and music. What do those elements say about your book? Is it funny, sad, romantic, suspenseful, historical, mysterious, thrilling, or epic? Do the images convey the setting or characters? Do the words give just enough info to reel the reader in? Does the music match the tone of the book?

SANDIE: And my pet peeve with so many of them out there: Check your text. Make sure it reads like a smooth narrative to place your book in the strongest possible light.

JULIE: And check your spelling!

MARIAN: That’s why God made spell-check. … And Sandie.