After visiting www.nouveauwriter.com, Laura Fabiani’s web site, I signed up for her newsletter. She enticed with the free download of her e-book, Ten Tips to Writing a Good Book.
The opening page doesn’t distract you with a lot of graphics. Just the title and a picture of a red book. Since that’s my favorite color, I felt a little more connected.
It appears to be a simple, no distractions, 16-page PDF e-book.
There are five chapters with ten tips.
Chapter 1: Prepare Yourself
Chapter 2: Where Are You Heading?
Chapter 3: Get to Work
Chapter 4: How’s It Coming Along
Chapter 5: The Writer’s Community
I was fine reading the table of contents until I came to the word “along.” How’s It Coming Along. Personally, I would have left off the word. “Coming Along” strays my mind away. (See just like I used the word “away” here – go ahead and read my previous sentence again to get my drift.)
Her introduction turned me off when she used the word “big project” referring to writing a book as a big project. This told me that was her belief. She backs it up with a analogy of how it took her eight months to write her novel “Daughter of Mine.”
It’s always been my pet peeve when a someone dictates how long a book should take to write. I’m sure Laura didn’t even realize she did this. We need to be careful on what beliefs we do share as a teacher. I also know from experience when I worked with publishers and authors who had three days to create a book. Princess Diane’s death was one such instance. So, I know it doesn’t need to be a big project unless you want it to be. And if you decide it’s going to be, it will be, because that’s your wish. Just like the genie in the bottle says in the move, “The Secret.”
Here’s my summary (plus a few short comments):
My summary:
- Writing is a big project
- Knowing your goal is a must before you write
- The right tools are required (After saying pen and paper will do just fine. I’m glad no one told this to Neale Donald Walsch.)
- You will need to spend money in order to write (It all depends on your weaknesses.)
- Your environment fuels your writing (This one was so true.)
- Kick the excuses to a curb and everything will be okay afterwards (Hollywood stuff.)
- Graphics on the front cover catch your eye (The publisher controls this.)
- Salting the back cover is important (And salting the table of contents is even much more important.)
- How people decide to purchase your tips (Good ones too.)
- Extensive research is a must (Not necessarily true, just her belief and experience. It’s different on the genre and the writer’s experience already.)
- “Let someone” give you feedback (I totally disagree. Experience taught me, “You can only get what people are capable of giving.”)
- Put it out there on the Web for feedback (No, no, no, it’s then considered published by publishers and will cut down your chances to get the book published. Okay, I’ll say it depends on the genre. My recommendation is not to.)
- Take a course. (I’d like to suggest to follow a path for improvement that fits your style of learning. As a writer you’ll always be learning. Choose a goal a week, or three a month – whatever fits into your schedule. And be careful who you take a course from – there are some terrible teachers out there who are well published.)
- It takes a community to build a writer. (Since she’s Canadian she posts two choices. What about the Americans who are reading this? Or in other countries? Yes, you can’t include them all by adding resources with hyperlinks without spending more time writing.)
I started out wanting to find inspiration. I didn’t find any for myself. I’m a little disappointed. Not a lot mind you. Just a little.
What I find Laura doing is a common mistake on producing free e-books. This one, took a top 10 list and turned it into an e-book, I’m sure quickly. A fairly good writer can do one in an hour or two. Turning a top 10 list into an e-book as a free enticement is part of the 90’s. People don’t want them any more. They deserve better too for their time.
Another challenge I find in many free e-books, is too talking in generalities. This book had parts of this. Places where I wanted depth and the conversation jumped away into more generalities (some declare this hype today). I encourage the philosophy “less is more.” Pair down your spin offs, or what I call run away topics, and enhance the value.
For a moment, let’s return to one of Laura’s suggestions --have a goal. I suggest going further with this. Knowing:
What you personally want from what you are getting to write.
What do you want the reader to do afterwards?
What do you want them to feel?
What emotions do you want to take them through? And how are you going to deliver them? What emotional phrases do you want to take them through? What do you want the reader to end with?
Since Laura’s tag line reads “for the aspiring writer who wants to success” on her web site, I think she wants to aspire the reader.
What is the meat you are willing to give that makes this valuable enough to make it worth their while. In other words, what will they leave with that will change their life right now?
Now, I do admit. I’m not the type of reader she probably wants to attract to new newsletter, or maybe I am. I was looking for a course to take to improve my writing. She offers classes. So far, I’m not enticed to go further. Maybe after I read more blog posts, more newsletters, I will be. That could be a long way away, and I’m looking for something now, aren’t I?
Isn’t the pink spoon effect about giving away an e-book, to attract more subscribers, to build credibility and trust, so they want to learn more from you (the buying side, of course).
What if this e-book would have been 16 pages and all about how she learned to “believe in herself as a writer.” Hmm?
This goes into what I believe one of the things people are transitioning away from -- quantity is better than quality. All you can eat buffets had their height years ago but the percentage has changed. Even the “large it” mentality at the fast food chains is changing. I believe they are responding to the economic changes.
Make every second count with your readers, reward them for your time exchange, whether it’s a freebie or not. Personally, I’m not an advocate for the “pay by the pound” theory. I’ve read so many e-books over the years that have 100 to 150 pages, only to find there were only 20 pages of good stuff. The rest was to increase the price. Oops, that is a marketing strategy still going on isn’t it. Buy this book (today only) and get these 20 bonuses. How many times have you really read all the 20 bonuses. Caught ya. Who really has time to read hundreds of pages of bonuses – well me if they are pertinent. Then again it takes me a month or two to plow my way through the “pay per pound” philosophy. Then again, who’s paying for it – yep, you and me.
My suggestion to everyone who gives away a free e-book as an enticement. Have a community read it, get the gold nuggets hidden in the criticism, and learn to take readers to a whole new level. Make the information valuable, really valuable. Stop producing the muck that worked back in the 90’s. It’s the 21st century folks! The past couple of years has really changed a lot of things. A tighter economy does make a difference on where people spend their time – and their money. As a writer myself, I believe we all have a duty to write valuably.
Back to Laura’s free e-book. If you’re a brand new writer, this is worth a scan. Anybody else, wait for her to read this and hopefully take it up a few notches. Now, that’s the one I’d like to read. I do look forward to receiving copies of her newsletter, and I’m on her blog. Hope they are better, still deciding if she can deliver what I need in her courses/ workshops. I’m sure she does.
Laura’s June 1, 2009 newsletter is here.
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