Audio Books vs. Written Books – Should You Write Differently?

As more and more people discover the joys of listening to audio books, more of my clients are asking if they need to write differently for audio book projects. The short answer, if you're a writer and are wondering this too, is no.

Write in your voice, in your style, and with your words. Write the way you normally write, and let your editor correct your work normally. You do not need to do anything differently unless the spirit moves you to make an audio book edit to your manuscript. One of my clients does that when we do audio versions of his short stories. He wants the stories to be as easy as possible for his listeners to follow, as there is a lot of dialogue in his stories. If you write with a lot of conversations in your creations, you might consider making an audio book edit to your manuscript, too, since the listener cannot hear open and close quotation marks.

The one thing you have to know is that the voice actor who reads your book for the audio book version may make slight word changes, and that's normal. In fact, the best narrators know how to make very small changes that help the listener stay engaged with the story. The changes are not mistakes, they're deliberate language changes that make your manuscript the best possible audio book.

Should your book be available in audio form? Since my company produces audio books, you won't be surprised that my answer is yes. However, here are some things to consider when deciding whether to turn your written book into an audio book:

• In January, 2011, the Association of American Publishers reported a slight decline in sales of physical audio books, i.e. CD and cassette versions. Downloadable audio book sales were up nearly 10% year over year as sales of books declined.
• In its 2011 professional survey, The Audiobook Publisher Association reported that audio book downloads represent 36% of dollar volume and 52% of unit sales, with downloadable audio book sales growing 300% in dollar volume the previous five years.
• In a report issued in September 2012, Business Insider revealed that 78% of the U.S. adult population uses a smart phone or tablet, and the percentage is expected to grow to nearly 85% by the end of 2013.

Smart phones and tablets are changing the way readers "read" your books. E-books are dominating the book sales marketplace, and downloadable audio books are the even easier way for people to read a book. Amazon.com introduced a Whispersync app, which encourages purchasers to buy both the e-book and audio book version, and seamlessly switch from one to the other. Go to bed and read chapter four on your Kindle, wake up and listen to chapter five on your smart phone or Kindle as you work out or commute, and there is no searching for your place - all of your devices know where you left off, and pick up there, no matter which version you're reading.

As you go through your day, pay attention to the number of people you see using headphones or earbuds. They are not all listening to music. Chances are many, if not most, are listening to an audio book or podcast.

If you have written a book or are working on one, don't worry about making any changes if you want to have an audio version available. Simply write, knowing that people will love your book - and your audio book!

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Sandy Weaver Carman is CEO of Voicework On Demand, Inc. Her specialty is audio products: audio books, audio learning courses, podcasts. She partners with writers, speakers, coaches, and trainers, taking work they've already done and turning it into a revenue river. She is the author of the award-winning "The Original MBA - Succeed in Business Using Mom's Best Advice" and "Create a Revenue River." 

http://voiceworkondemand.com
sandy@voiceworkondemand.com

Outline Your Book the Easy Way

In this VIDEO BLOG POST, The Author's Midwife shares a simple process to outline your book.  

A lot of authors have challenges just getting started with their book. Yet, one of the easiest ways to kick off your book writing project is to outline your book. A lot of authors cringe at the thought of outlining their book because they think it's way too much effort. They would much rather just write and allow the story to unfold. However, with a simple outline, you have a road map for creating a great book. 

I have developed a very simple process to help you outline your book. It's as simple as 1-3-3-1. Here's how it works: 

The first "1" is the Theme of your book. Your theme is the answer to the question you will inevitably be asked: "So, what's your book about?" Your answer is the theme of your book. There should be only one theme for your book.

The first "3" relates to the Three Main Points that you will cover in your book. There might be more than three, but try to encapsulate the points into three, then build from there. 

The next "3" relates to Three Supporting Points for each main point. These could be three examples, case studies, or supporting facts.  

The last "1" is the main Takeaway of the book. What one thing should readers get from your book?  

Apply this simple Write Your Life Outlining Process to make outlining your book really easy so you can get started right away with writing your book. 

What other ideas do you have for quickly and easily outlining your book?

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Anita Paul, known as The Author's Midwife, coaches aspiring authors to write a phenomenal book and helps current authors use their existing books to leverage their business. She is the author of Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and the Book You've Been Wanting to Write, and is the creator of the Write Your Life program, through which she has created a dynamic system to Write Your Book in 90 Days or Less. She has owned The Write Image for 15 years, and has had her freelance articles featured in over 25 publications in the U.S. and Canada. Anita is also the host of "Book Your Success".

The Basics of Interior Book Design

How do you get a reader to choose your book from the shelf and look inside? An eye-catching cover and tempting title are sure to entice someone to pick it up and turn it over to read the synopsis on the back before flipping through the pages to read snippets of what’s inside.  

Does the inside of your book do justice to the cover? Although most readers don’t know the rules of design, they can tell if the interior pages look professional. Even if your content is valuable, who wants to read a book with tiny type, misaligned graphics, or misspelled words? When you wrote your book, you carefully selected the words to get your message across. It’s important that those words make an impact on the printed page.

Don’t let a poorly designed book damage your credibility.

Interior book design encompasses all the elements on a page that give it style. These aspects include:

• Choice of font: body text, chapter headings, and subheadings
• Width of margins
• Style of chapter headings
• Spacing between the lines
• Headers and footers – page numbers
• Placement of graphics, charts, pictures, or callout boxes

Follow these tips to help you with the design of your book’s pages:

Look at other books and see what you like about the layout. What is the size of the book? Are the page numbers in the header or in the footer? Which font do you prefer? Should your chapter headings be large and fancy, or small and plain? Do the graphics have borders around them? You can save time and money if you have some idea of what you like and don’t like about interior pages before handing your manuscript over to the page designer.

Don’t settle on a basic template. A book designer should be able to customize your interior layout and use the fonts, spacing, design, and graphic elements you want. If you are unable to tailor the page design to your preference because of limitations on the number of graphics, choice of font, or any other element, it’s time to look for another designer.

Ask to see samples of the designer’s work. Ask for references and speak to the designer about her experience working with authors. Look at samples of her work. If possible, use a designer who has been referred by someone you know and trust.

Listen to your designer’s suggestions regarding layout issues. There are a few hard and fast rules for interior page design and a good designer will tell you if you are breaking those rules. For instance, odd numbered pages are always on the right and even numbered pages on the left. On the other hand, some issues are neither right nor wrong, such as the position of page numbers. They can be in the header or the footer.

Your page design can be created in Microsoft Word. A manuscript does not have to be converted to a fancy graphics program for printing. Microsoft Word is adequate for designing a book – graphics and all! 

You’ll be proud when you hold a finished copy of your book in your hands. Make sure that it shines.

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Debbie Kerr is a typesetter and proofreader specializing in interior page design. She also designs speaker sheets, postcards, and bookmarks for marketing your book.
www.planbee.biz

www.linkedin.com/in/debbiekerr/

From False Start to Fresh Start

Although any time is a good time for a fresh start, it seems that the beginning of the year is a logical time to start anew with projects, concepts, dreams, or even your book project. If at this time last year you promised yourself – or made a resolution – that you would write and publish your book in 2012, yet your book remains a confused file of notes and ideas in a Word doc on your computer, you are among the many would-be authors who have acquired what I call False Start Syndrome.

This is the condition by which an aspiring author begins, with great enthusiasm and laser-focused determination, the process of writing a book that s/he has been wanting to write for years ... yes years. For some reason, when authors get the notion to write we don't act on it right away. We ponder, procrastinate, doubt, wonder, and question our initial thoughts about becoming an author. This might occur for several months to several years. All the while we jot down notes, record thoughts, write content, and even create a rough outline for our eventual book. Yet and still, time passes, life goes on, and we never actually get around to writing and publishing the book. If this sounds like you, do not fret; you're not alone. Believe me, I understand what you're feeling.

Just because I coach other people to write, publish, and leverage their books does not mean that writing always comes easily for me or that every idea I have ever had for a book has come to fruition. In fact, I have a manuscript for a fiction novel that I completed in 2005 ... yes, eight years ago. It has never been published. I could recount all of the life interruptions that took priority, the new clients I needed to assist, the exciting projects I wanted to focus on, or any number of more important things that came up over the years that derailed my dream of publishing my novel. Yet I would be fooling myself into believing that these things have been the cause of the book not being published. In fact, the true reason is that I got cold feet. Seriously!

I have questioned whether the story is compelling enough, the writing fluid enough, the characters developed enough, and the dialogue true enough. My False Start Syndrome has taken many forms, including almost publishing my novel with a large independent publisher – who shall remain unnamed – just to get it done. All the while I considered working with this company, I had a feeling that something was not quite right. So, I halted the project, put the manuscript away, and went on with life. Now, that thing is nudging at me again, for what is, I declare, the final time. I'm ready to make it happen.

So I invite all of you would-be authors to take a chance on yourself and your dream. Go from False Start to a Fresh Start in 2013. Join me in making the commitment to publish that book that has been on your heart and mind. Just do it. I promise that the process will not be nearly as scary as you imagine; it never is.

Now is the time to recommit to your dream.

In the comments section below, share your commitment to publish your book in 2013.

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Anita Paul, known as The Author's Midwife, coaches aspiring authors to write a phenomenal book and helps current authors use their existing books to leverage their business. She is the author of Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and the Book You've Been Wanting to Write, and is the creator of the Write Your Life program, through which she has created a dynamic system to Write Your Book in 90 Days or Less. She has owned The Write Image for 15 years, and has had her freelance articles featured in over 25 publications in the U.S. and Canada. Anita is also the host of "Book Your Success".

Top Blog Posts of 2012

At Write Your Life, we enjoy sharing tips and information to help you get smart about becoming a self-published author. Throughout 2012, our team of bloggers has shared valuable expertise and knowledge to help you succeed. Here, we share a few of our top picks from the year. 

Begin With the End in Mind

Many authors do all their writing first and think that they can wait to work on plans and goals later, when the book is ready to be released. But in doing that, they’re starting out behind. Here are five questions to consider before writing and publishing your book.

Looking for Home Writing Made Easy

Stop searching for the Holy Grail of all writing instruction materials and instead build your network of academic pros, literary pros, and colleagues to hone your craft.

Bait, Cast, and Hook

Time and patience and inspiration allow great authors to achieve eloquent and emotional introductions. With a little effort, you, too, can craft a strong opening line.

Be a Better Writer

Writers need to write. The learning curve can be tough. Demanding. But it’s important to your craft. If you want to get better, here are some ways to improve. 

Your Book as a Business

Most often, new authors consider the dollar cost of book production as an expense rather than an investment. The distinction, as I see it, is that an investment suggests an anticipated return while an expense may not. And so it should be with your book project.

Connect and Promote Before You Publish

The time to begin making connections and building relationships for marketing is BEFORE your book is complete. Small, consistent steps make it easy.

20 Ways to End Your Book

Taking the time at the start of your writing journey to consider how you might wrap up your story will become one of the biggest favors you’ve ever done for yourself.

10 Questions to Ask When Choosing an Editor

A professional edit is an essential component of a well-produced book. So why do so many authors, particularly self-published authors, skip this vital step? It could be that they do not know what to look for when choosing an editor.

Sell BOXES or TRUCKLOADS of Your Book

Many think the hardest part of publishing a book is writing it, but that’s the easiest part for most authors. Marketing is equally important. Here are some ideas for generating special market sales.

Study Your Readers to Improve Sales

For strategic authors, identifying an ideal reader – a target audience, as it's called in marketing – is an unvoidable and absolutely necessary first step in creating a book that will appeal to a niche market.

Write the Book Proposal that Sells

If you’re looking to get a commercial or academic publisher, here are the top five things you should include in your book proposal. 

One Dollar Marketing

The power of a dollar can go quite far with your book marketing budget. As the co-author of How to Market Your Book For Free, I have learned to use various strategies to market my books while on a budget, through healthy self-competition, for a substantial return on my investment. 

We wish you a peaceful, prosperous, and phenomenal New Yew Year. 

8 Essential Items to Include in Your How-To Book

You’re writing a how-to or self-help book and you want to teach people something. You want your readers to not only enjoy the read, but to learn something valuable and to immediately put it into practice.

How do you know if you’ve covered all the bases to help your readers maximize their experience with your book? Consider these eight items to include in your how-to book:

Who are you? Here is where you position yourself as an expert. In a previous post, I explain the three questions audiences (and readers of self-help books) ask themselves about you to help them know of your expert status. State your credentials. What education, industry experience, or certifications do you have? How and why did you decide to pursue this line of work? What do you hope readers will learn from the information you share in your book?      

Overview of the book. Do yourself and your readers a favor and clearly explain, in the introduction or first chapter, what your book is about. In addition, mention the types of readers who will get the most benefit from reading your book and implementing the strategies and information included.

Tell me a story. Although your focus is to teach a concept, readers love a good story. Sprinkle in examples and case studies throughout your book. Include stories of how you learned a particular concept or how you assisted a client. Readers can learn from the best practices, mistakes, and successes you share.

Step-by-step instructions. Your book is all about “how to.” Therefore, explain in detail how readers can apply what you are teaching. Give step-by-step instructions, explaining even the most obvious items.

Templates, tables, and worksheets. How-to books are for the “do-it-yourselfers” among us. Give readers the tools to easily begin implementing your concepts. Use charts, tables, worksheets, and other resources that readers can follow or fill in using their own unique circumstances.

Results. Your book might explain a process or system that you have created. It is fine to describe this, but sharing the results readers could expect adds a valuable component to your book. Estimate possible outcomes or, once again, use examples and case studies to demonstrate the results others have experienced by using your system.

Contact info. Imagine that readers might either have questions after reading your book or, better yet, that they might wish to become a client. Be sure to include several ways for them to reach you, such as your email address, website, social media links, phone number, and business address.

Links to online resources. Gone are the days when a reader’s experience ends on the last page of a hard copy book. Including links to online resources – especially those on your own website – further transforms your book into a useful tool. Send readers to a webpage where they can download a form, watch a video, listen to a podcast, read a blog post, or make a comment.

Use these essential elements to help make your next self-help or how-to book even more valuable for readers.

What other elements have you found useful in these types of books?
__________________________

Anita Paul, known as The Author's Midwife, coaches aspiring authors to write a phenomenal book and helps current authors use their existing books to leverage their business. She is the author of Write Your Life: Create Your Ideal Life and the Book You've Been Wanting to Write, and is the creator of the Write Your Life program, through which she has created a dynamic system to Write Your Book in 90 Days or Less. She has owned The Write Image for 15 years, and has had her freelance articles featured in over 25 publications in the U.S. and Canada. Anita is also the host of "Book Your Success".

10 Questions to Ask When Choosing an Editor

A professional edit is an essential component of a well-produced book. So why do so many authors, particularly self-published authors, skip this vital step? It could be that they do not know what to look for when choosing an editor.

The range of editing services is vast. When choosing an editor, it’s important to know exactly what you’re paying for and the extent of the services you’ll receive (and maybe more importantly, won’t receive). Many editors do not specify exactly what services they offer, so getting the answers to the following 10 questions will help ensure a smooth and successful edit of your manuscript.

1.       Will you do a complimentary sample edit?

The best way to compare editors is to compare sample edits of the same material. Usually two pages of a double-spaced manuscript will be sufficient. From a sample edit, you’ll get an idea of how thorough each editor is.

2.      What services am I paying for?

The most basic service is a proofread. For this service, grammar, punctuation, style consistency, and typos are reviewed. Typically, no content-related revisions are suggested. A proofread is often done in one review, though I contend that more reviews are usually necessary.

The most extensive service is a thorough edit, which in addition to a basic proofread may include content revision and fact checking. A thorough edit can take two to four full reviews of your manuscript to complete, depending on its length and the changes required.

3.      How many times will you review the manuscript, and will you make the edits yourself or only note where edits are needed?

It’s important to know how many times your manuscript will be reviewed. It’s difficult to catch all of the errors in a manuscript in just one review, unless it requires only a few changes.

If your editor suggests several revisions to your manuscript during the initial review, you need to know who will proof those changes after they are made. This is extremely important because of the time involved and the possibility of introducing new errors. Some editors will make the changes themselves, but some will only point out the needed changes. In addition to saving you time, having the changes made for you will keep you from making new mistakes that are not caught, particularly with rewritten material.

4.      How much experience do you have with my type of manuscript?

If you are in need of only a basic proofread, then you have many professionals to choose from. If, however, content revision is necessary, be sure that the professional you choose has the type of experience you need. For example, if you are writing fiction, and you are not sure if you wrote well-developed characters, you need an editor who knows character development. Do not hesitate to ask how many books the editor has edited in your genre. Historical fiction and children’s books, for example, may require different expertise.

5.      What is your turnaround time?

Make sure that timelines are clear, and find out what happens if they are not met. If more than one revision is necessary, part of the time that it takes to complete your project may depend on how quickly you can make changes and respond to questions. Expect to pay more for rush jobs.

6.      What style guides are you familiar with?

Most nonacademic, new authors are not aware of style guides. For books, the Chicago Manual of Style and the Associated Press Stylebook are commonly used style guides. Your editor needs to know which style you are using and to be familiar with that style when reviewing your manuscript for consistency.

You may also use your own style, as long as you are consistent, which is difficult if you’re not aware of your style choices (e.g., which numbers will you spell out and will you use the serial comma).

7.       What correction/commenting method do you use?

Many editors use the track changes tool in Word. If your document is not in Word or if your editor does not use track changes, you might communicate by fax with comments handwritten on the document.

8.      If you have questions about my content or if I have questions about your edits, will we have a phone conversation, or do you communicate electronically only? If phone conversations are included, is there a limit to the number of calls or the duration of the calls?

Some points of clarification and questions do not translate well by email. You need to know if you can ask questions by phone and if your editor will call you with complicated questions or explanations.

9.      How and when do you invoice, and what payment methods do you accept?

When possible, don’t pay for your service in full in advance. If you do, you may not have any recourse if the job is not completed as promised.

By using PayPal or a similar service, you can file a dispute if you have problems with their merchant, and you won’t have to give your credit card number to a stranger. If your editor does not have a PayPal account, suggest that she get one. Setting up an account is free, fast, and easy.

10.   Do you have a satisfaction guarantee, and will you put the terms in writing?

Find out what happens if your expectations are not met. This information is also helpful when comparing editors.

Be sure to get your agreement in writing. Though a formal contract is probably not necessary, it’s a good idea to have clearly defined expectations and target dates in writing.

Getting answers to these important questions will help you choose the right editor for your needs. Being an informed consumer may also save you time and money. Here’s to your bestseller that you will be proud to present again and again!

See Ms. Hyde’s previous guest blog post "Errors in Your Writing Can Be Costly."

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Tippi Hyde is a freelance editor whose clients have referred to her as the editor with the eagle eye, a master copyeditor, and proofreader extraordinaire. She has been hired to proofread/copyedit for Cox Enterprises (one of America’s largest private companies), the City of Atlanta, nonprofit organizations, and universities. Her editing work includes blogs, books, websites, policy monographs, grant proposals, grant reports, and doctoral dissertations, and she has copyedited documents that were presented to the White House, local government, and The Oprah Winfrey Foundation.