iUniverse advice on creating a Sci-fi/Fantasy World

iUniverse self-publishing asks if you’re going to write a science fiction or a fantasy book. Where will you begin?

Writing a sci-fi or fantasy novel is different from writing regular fiction. You don’t have to be so historically correct about the setting. You can create any kind of world, or worlds, you want.

Start by deciding if your story will take place on a planet or on a space ship. Perhaps your characters are time travelers or maybe they shift effortlessly from one dimension to another by use of an advanced technology.

Your Setting

What planet or planets will your story take place on? It might be real or one that you invent. When creating your new world, consider whether they have seasons and, if they do, what the weather is like and, more importantly, the kind of atmosphere there is. Perhaps there is no atmosphere, or it is toxic to the beings inhabiting the planet, and they live in a sealed environment or under a dome. Is the air polluted or is it a pristine environment? Do they have gravity to a greater or lesser extent than earth? How many moons and suns does your planet have? If your characters are human, it should be a place that’s not too far from Earth, so traveling there won’t take too long, unless they are placed in hibernation.

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iUniverse highlights your character-Heroines

Throughout history there have been female characters that have been immortalized in books for their deeds of courage and spirit; their cruelty and deception; and just being a normal school girl. But what are the traits of these heroines we so loved to read about as a child and still do as adults? iUniverse publishing highlights a few of the female characteristics that can help you build your next books heroine.

Mission Totally Possible – The Crusader

This lady may not be built like an athlete but she is a dedicated fighter in mind and body and when pushed will rush headfirst through whatever is in her way. Headstrong as she commits to everything she does. Our crusader is certainly not a wall flower or a damsel in distress. But below that exterior can hold a heart of gold for a good cause.

Always loyal – The Plucky kid

This feminine heroine is a clear favorite of many authors for a good many years. Her loyalty, practicality and guts make her a perfect friend to your other characters, and everyone wants her to win through. She is not interested in being top dog, just to be left alone in her little corner of life. But if you are looking for buddy to have an adventure with, then this is the girl.

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iUniverse highlights your character-Heroes

Male characters that have been immortalized in literature for their deeds of courage and adventurous spirit; their cruelty and barbarism; or just being a normal school boy. But what are the traits of these heroes we so loved to read about as a child and still do as adults? iUniverse publishing highlights a few of the male characteristics that can help you build your next book’s hero.

Shiver me timbers! – The Buccaneer

If there is adventure and action to be found this hero is your man. An adrenalin junkie looking for thrills wherever it takes him. His hero-doing deeds will have any woman’s heart beating fiercely. Totally fearless and has a physical presence that know no bounds. Happy on the high seas or the deepest jungles while looking for a cause to fight for or just the kiss of a woman.

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iUniverse Tips on How To Market Your Book Using Twitter

If you are serious about spreading the word about your book then Twitter is a great way to go.

Many authors will give Twitter a stab but quickly feel disappointed with it. That’s probably because this microblogging site requires a little bit of finesse and a high dose of patience, and not to mention time and effort.

In this article iUniverse Publishing aims to give you a few pointers on your book marketing using Twitter.

Please DO try the following

DO follow your favorite authors and learn from them.

DO update your bio with a brief introduction and a pleasant picture. It’s the first thing people see, so make a good impression.

DO write a coherent sentence. Yes, 140 characters isn’t much but you’re a writer so make sure you compose something readable.

DO find an area of expertise related to your book and tweet about the topic to find your followers.

DO get to grips with the # feature. For example you might tweet about the problems you’re having writing a character and use the #amwriting tag. Your tweet will show up to anyone looking at that trend which is for people who are currently writing.

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iUniverse Tips on How To Turn your Book into a Movie – Part 2

iUniverse brings you the second installment of turning your book into a movie.

Marketing Your Screenplay

Register your Script with the Writer’s Guild of America

The first step to marketing your screenplay is to register it with the Writers Guild of America (WGA). The registration will protect you from theft of your intellectual property and is good for five years.

The Writers Guild of America is also known as the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), and registering your screenplay with them is fairly simple. The registration fee is up to $20, and you can do it online by filling out the form at https://www.wgawregistry.org/webrss/dataentry.asp.

Write a Logline and Synopsis

Next, you’ll need to write your logline and synopsis. A logline is like an elevator pitch in sales. It’s usually a catchy, one sentence line to attract the producer’s attention. Use a hook.

Write your Query Letter

Now, you need to write a short, convincing query letter. It should be no longer than one page in length. Include your logline and synopsis, and explain in a persuasive manner why the recipient should read your film script.

The usual structure of a professional query letter is a five-para

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iUniverse on How To Promote Your Book by Blogging

iUniverse gives you pointers on how to market your book in what is considered one of social media’s pioneers predating Facebook.

Blogging, or web-logging has achieved the status of household recognition. Much like urban myths describing sunken treasure, many have heard that there are riches to be found, but aren’t sure if it is really worth their time to build their own ship to trawl the vast ocean of the World Wide Web.

For writers, the benefits of blogging are certainly worth the effort. So what can blogging do for you?

iUniverse Publishing Presents Six Benefits to Blogging

Visibility Your blog is a great home base from which to organize all of your social media links, and press releases. Constantly updating it with great content that your friends, family and fans will tweet or share will increase your potential for exposure to a new audience. In addition, fresh content and links back to it, encourage search engines like Google to rank you work higher in searches.

Voice Be yourself. Teach, entertain, or create controversy. There are no rules and readers enjoy finding a fresh point of view with a unique style. You can also experiment with different tones to find out which is most fun and effective for you.

Versatility Blogs can force you out into uncharted territory as you look for something fresh to write about. Remember interesting content is the point. This is a great exercise to increase your frame of reference, which will make you a stronger writer. You may also unwittingly gain fans by casting a bigger net.

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How To Keep Track of Your Creative Ideas with iOS Writer Apps

Just like its Latin root spiro, “to breathe,” inspiration seems to be just as fleeting. Great ideas often come when least expected. Are you prepared to catch them? Every writer needs a notebook or memo pad. It’s a must have.

This iUniverse article takes a look at some digital solutions that can help you not only snag those ideas before they fly away, but help you organize them so you can find the gems later.

iUniverse Publishing takes a look at some of the exciting applications available for iOS.

Simplenote is a useful tool to keep notes, lists, ideas and more. Your notes automatically synchronize with your computer and all your devices. It’s extremely easy to use.

Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas, and improve productivity while on the subway. Take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders and be confident in being able to retrieve them easily through this completely searchable, and cloud-powered app.

Awesome Note is an integrated application that is capable of unlimited note-taking uses. You can even annotate pictures and make touch screen drawings, in addition to the basics text chores. This app can sync to other locations easily. Google Docs sync is built right in, and you can also use Bluetooth to sync with your computer as well.

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iUniverse Tips on How To Market Your Books – Part 4

iUniverse gives you more guidelines to boost your your book sales.

Doing Radio Interviews

Doing radio interviews about your book can attract people’s attention and generate interest. It’s an easy, cost- effective way to advertise your book(s). As most radio interviews are held over the phone or by using Skype, you don’t need to worry about gas, travel time or your attire.

Radio interviews can last anywhere from ten minutes to an hour, and they give you the opportunity to connect with the audience. It’s customary for talk radio shows to open the phone lines and allow calls from the public during or after the interview. Showing genuine interest in the callers and telling a story or two can make the audience feel as if they really know you.

You can prepare for the interview by sending the host questions you would like him or her to ask you. This is also a common practice. You should present yourself as an expert on the topic of your book. If you aren’t an expert, fake it. It’s likely that no one will know the difference.

Talk show hosts often promote upcoming interviews by advertising them online and talking about them on their shows. Some of them will create a link from their website to yours, and this is all free advertisement.

You and/or the talk show host can also offer free giveaways of your book to the first five or ten callers. This is a low-cost method of promoting your book too.

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iUniverse Tips on How To Market Your Books – Part 3

Here’s another installment of iUniverse tips on how to market your books.

Offering e-books online and doing book signings

There are many ways to get low-cost publicity for your book. In this article, we will present tips on offering e-books online and doing book signings.

Benefits of offering e-books online

There are a number of benefits to offering e-books online. People are spending more time with a computer and less time reading actual books these days, so offering your book in e-book form can attract more readers.

People can find anything they are looking for in an e-book very quickly because they are searchable. They are also portable, so people can easily carry lots of books around with them.

People can adjust the fonts on e-books, so the elderly can read them despite vision impairments, and e-books are available online at any time which is a definite benefit to the homebound who can’t make trips to the library or the bookstore conveniently.

You can update your e-book, correct mistakes and add or delete information easily.

Posting your book online in e-book format can make it more attractive and much easier to access which, in turn, can boost sales.

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iUniverse Tips on How To Market Your Books – Part 2

iUniverse gives you more tips to see your book promotion on a roll.

Publicity

There are a number of ways to get free publicity for your book. In this article, we will present tips on press releases and creating a media kit.

Announce your book

Before your book is released, you should announce it to the media. Write a press release, approximately one page in length, and include a picture of the book cover. Mention the publisher, the release date and any other relevant information. If you don’t know how to write a press release, look it up on the internet. There are many web sites and web pages that will tell you how to do it.

There are a number of ways to get your press release to the right place. Submit your press release to your local newspaper or TV/radio news outlet. Be sure to email it to a department or reporter which handles book reviews or author features, and explain to them why their readers, viewers or listeners would be interested in your book.

Post your press release on your own web site. Do not post it as a PDF file. Search engines won’t pick up the information on a PDF file and rank it appropriately.

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Writing with Style: from William Strunk Jr., E.B. White – Part 3

We come to the final installment of Writing with Style: from William Strunk Jr., E.B. White here at iUniverse Writer’s Tips.

4. Picture yourself in the setting

“Show, don’t tell” has always been a writer’s credo. Strunk and White persuade you to use stronger words (e.g, action verbs), which bring us to the next tip:

5. Avoid using “rather,” “very,”, “little,” “pretty”.

“…these are the leeches that infest of the pond of prose, sucking the blood of words. The constant use of the adjective little (except to indicate size) is particularly debilitating; we should all try to do a little better, we should all be very watchful of this rule, for it is a rather important one and we are pretty sure to violate it now and then.”

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Writing with Style: from William Strunk Jr., E.B. White – Part 2

Here’s the second installment of Strunk and White’s writing, editing tips from The Elements of Style.

More suggestions to avoid wordiness:

• Stop beating around the bush.

Use active voice statements – they are more concise. Passive voice constructions use the “to be” form of the verb (is, are, was, were…), often weak in conveying your message. Concrete or action verbs make your sentences more succinct, powerful, and convincing.

Passive: Your dreams of becoming a published author were granted. (9 words)

Active: iUniverse made you a published author. (6 words)

Remember, however, that passive voice is sometimes more appropriate as shown in the sentences below.

Self-publishing is no longer considered vanity publishing. (The statement is a fact; thus, the doer/subject of the sentence can be omitted from the sentence.)

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Writing with Style: from William Strunk Jr., E.B. White – Part 1

Every serious writer must have heard of the 1918-published style guide The Elements of Style by the late American professor of English William Strunk Jr. and his student, the legendary American children’s books writer E.B. White. Notable authors from the past to the present have highly recommended the nearly-a-century-old book to hopeful writers.

“If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style.”- Dorothy Parker

“I’ll tell you right now that every aspiring writer should read The Elements of Style. Rule 17 in the chapter titled Principles of Composition is “Omit needless words.” I will try to do that here.”- Stephen King, On Writing

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Spreading the Word about Your Book

Unlike the adventurous twists and turns of creative writing, a book marketing plan should follow a definite path. iUniverse Writer’s Tips provides you with a number of marketing strategies to keep you focused and get your word across effectively.

1. Be a guest blogger at the iUniverse Author Blogs.

This platform is aimed at making iUniverse self-published authors shine. The iUniverse Blog gives you the chance to share your insights as a self-published author, and of course, promote your book within the iUniverse online community and to the rest of the web netizens.

2. Create a loud email blast.

Harness the power of email to send your message to a large number of potential readers all in one go. More importantly, your email should communicate the right message. A good article on creating an excellent eDM is found here.

3. Word of mouth may sometimes be inaccurate but can do wonders.

And you should ask help from the people closest to you first: your friends and family.

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iUniverse Presents ‘Unphony’ Writing Wisdom from J.D. Salinger

On January 31, 1948, the J.D. Salinger-written short story A Perfect Day for Bananafish appeared in the New Yorker. Over half a century after its publication, iUniverse Writer’s Tips pays tribute to the American literary legend through his pieces of writing advice.

A rare 1940s interview with the Catcher in the Rye author surfaced last year, two years after his death. Shirley Ardman, then an 18-year-old journalism student, reportedly talked with Salinger as part of a school requirement to conduct an interview with a published author. The meeting was one of the very few ones the reclusive writer agreed to have in his sixty-year writing stint. He lived a hermit life following a leaked and widely published interview he had in the 1950s.

Read these excerpts from Ardman’s report revealing some of Salinger’s writing two cents that have made him the celebrated and controversial writer that he was.

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iUniverse Publishing Book Marketing Tips – Part 1

Ok. You’re planning to self-publish a book with iUniverse. Have you given any consideration as to how you are going to market it?

Many authors think it is the job of the publisher to market their book, which is definitely not the case with self-publishers. Thus, they do nothing to promote or market their book, and they end up being depressed about it or getting angry with the publisher.

As an iUniverse published author, it is your job to market your own book, but we can help. Here are several ideas on how to promote a book.

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iUniverse: Screenwriting Contests & Competitions 2012-13 Part 2

In iUniverse presents Screenwriting Contests & Competitions in 2012 and 2013 – Part 1, iUniverse encouraged you to enter several screen writing contests, including Blue Cat Screenplay Competition and American Zoetrope Screenplay Contest. In this article, we will present a few more contests.

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iUniverse: Screenwriting Contests & Competitions 2012-13 Part 1

iUniverse knows that many screenplay writers got their start by entering screenplay writing contests or competitions, many of which offer large cash prizes and Hollywood representation. You can do it too. Winning one of these contests can help you get started as a professional screenwriter. iUniverse Publishing presents the following screenplay writing competitions which are all directly sponsored by film production companies, Hollywood agents and executives, national film festivals and film producers and directors.

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iUniverse Publishing presents How to Write a Book to Advise

iUniverse knows that when you are writing an article or a book to advise someone, you need to provide interesting and informative advice on a specific topic that is aimed at a target audience. You really need to think about who you’re writing for and tailor your solutions towards them.

Keep your language formal but polite. Avoid slang, abbreviations, personal pronouns like “I”, and personal opinions. Readers are more likely to take your advice if you state it as a recommendation, rather than as an opinion.

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iUniverse How To: The Mechanics of Poetry – Part II

As mentioned in Part I of this series, you should familiarize yourself with some of the literary devices that poets use to write poetry. In this article, iUniverse continues to present some of the literary terms used, their definitions and examples.

figure of speech – an expression in which words are used in a non-literal way to convey a vivid or forceful mental image.

iambic pentameter – meaning to have five iambs or iambic feet, a commonly used metrical line in traditional verse. The term describes the particular rhythm that the words establish in a line.

image – a word, or group of words, that evokes a sensory impression.

irony – a mode of expression in which a poet says one thing but means the opposite.

metaphor – a figure of speech in which two things are identified with each other, a comparison of two things without using like or as.

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