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IWSG Newsletter offers articles from industry experts, links to helpful articles as well as advice, wisdom and inspiration.
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Insecure Writer's Support Group

A database resource site and support group for writers and authors. Featuring weekly guests and tips, a monthly blogfest gathering, a Facebook group, a book club, and thousands of links – all to benefit writers! #IWSG

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Make the Ask!
By Jessica McDonald

Make the ask!
 
When I was in graduate school, I took a seminar on fundraising and financial management for nonprofits. One of the key tenets my professor drilled into us was that you lose 100% of the donations you don’t ask for. It seems so simple, asking someone to help us, but when it comes to fundraising—or self-promotion—it can leave us feeling awkward. But just like with fundraising, you lose 100% of the opportunities you don’t ask for.

Do you know someone that runs a blog? Ask them if you can make a guest post.

Are you Facebook friends with someone who has a large following? Private message them to see if they’d like an ARC of your book.

It doesn’t have to be a hard sell, and you shouldn’t do it unless you’ve had some kind of interaction with that person. Position it as something you’re also doing for them—a guest post, an ARC, a book to review. Bloggers and social media creators are looking for content, and you can provide that to them.

Are you running a book launch? Contact people individually to ask them to help you promote it.

It’s a lot of work, but personal messages get better responses. It shows you are asking them one-on-one, and that you care about their time.  And always, always remember to thank them, and reciprocate when possible. If it doesn’t feel right, start with people you are close to, and ask them to use their networks to spread your message. You’ll be surprised at the number of people who are willing to help you out, if you simply make the ask.

Jessica McDonald writes urban fantasy and YA and worked as a marketing director until recently, when she moved to Japan to teach English. She earned her Master’s degree from the University of Denver, and has worked for everything from political campaigns to game design companies. She has published original research on online user behavior, and presented to national conferences on how social media really is more than just cat videos. Check out her Kickstarter.
 
The next IWSG Day will be Wednesday, October 3
Sign up here.

OPTIONAL IWSG Day Question: How do major life events affect your writing? Has writing ever helped you through something?

 
RULES: This group posts EVERY month. If you sign up and miss one first Wednesday, that's all right! Those who sign up just to advertise or miss two postings in a row will be removed so as not to waste group member's time. Please refrain from posting non-writing related tangents under the IWSG badge. We believe in freedom of speech, but please relate your post to the life of a writer in some fashion. Those who don’t will be given a warning. If done a second time, you will be removed from the blog hop list. Guest posts for IWSG Day are acceptable, but the post should address writing insecurities in some way. Thanks for respecting the purpose of this group!

Visit members. Return comments. Be respectful. And have FUN! 

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

K.J. Scrim is a newer member of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. She does helpful posts on writing, and sometimes features authors on her blog, as well as sharing book reviews. Recently, she took over the managing editor position for Writing From the Peak, a blog for Pikes Peak Writers. She's done projects on Facebook to support other authors, and continues to be a helpful part of several writing communities.
The IWSG Instagram - Check Instagram for the October Instagram Days schedule!
Member News:

Congratulations to Juliana Haygert on the release of Earth Shaker: A Fire Heart Novella!

Sherry Ellis has released Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China. Way to go!

Kristin Smith released the third book in The Deception Game series: Fearless. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Shannon Lawrence on having short stories released in two new anthologies! Fright Into Flight and The Society of Misfit Stories Presents, Volume II!

If you want your news shared in our next issue, email a short tidbit with one link to Shannon at thewarriormuse@gmail.com
IWSG Anthology

The 2018 Annual IWSG Anthology Contest

Word count: 3500-6000

Genre: Young Adult Romance

 

Theme:

Masquerade

A Masquerade can be a false show or pretense, someone pretending to be someone they aren't. It can be a ball, a fancy dress party, it can be a mask. Open to interpretation.

Submissions accepted: September 5 - November 4, 2018

How to enter: Send your polished, formatted (Double spaced, no page numbers), previously unpublished story to admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com before the deadline passes. Please include your contact details, your social links, and if you are part of the Blogging, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter IWSG group.

Judging: The IWSG admins will create a shortlist of the best stories. The shortlist will then be sent to our official judges who will be announced September 5.

Prizes: The winning stories will be edited and published by Freedom Fox Press next year in the IWSG anthology. Authors will receive royalties on books sold, both print and eBook. The top story will have the honor of giving the anthology its title.

BOOK CLUB

Our book selection for October/November is:

The Murders at the Rue Morgue by Edgar Allan Poe

This book is perfect for the fall season and was voted on by our members as a great example of voice. The discussion will start November 21st and will go to the end of the month, but it will be up indefinitely, so you can hop in whenever you're able.

Join Us.
 
HELPFUL ARTICLES:

- Finding the Time and Discipline to Write

- 11 Steps to Find and Connect With Other Authors in Your Genre

- How to Write a Synopsis the Quick and Easy Way

- 5 Conflict-Making Choices Characters Can Make

- Grammar Mistakes: How to Avoid Looking Like a Greenhorn

- Ways to Exercise Your What-if Muscle

- What Authors Can Learn From Supernatural

- Book Marketing 101

- Indie Authors: Are You Making This One Major Mistake?

- How to Drive Preorder Book Sales

- When Dialogue Gets Weird: Representing Unorthodox Forms of Speech on the Page

- The 5 Elements of an Unforgettable Children's Book
WEP
The next Write...Edit...Publish Challenge will be in October!
Tweeting for Success
By Alex J. Cavanaugh

Are you getting the most out of your Twitter account? Here are a few things you can do to boost your presence on Twitter.

Add an image to your Tweets. They are twice as likely to be re-tweeted.

Keep a promo Tweet pinned at the top. (To do this, after you Tweet, click the little arrow in the right corner and select pin to profile page.) Then re-tweeters won’t have to search your feed for one of your Tweets.

Re-tweet other followers’ personal Tweets.

Make lists and group your followers accordingly.

Check for those who’ve unfollowed you (WhoUnfollowedMe.com is a good way to do this) and unfollow them. Remember to remove them from your lists first.

Only one out of ten Tweets/re-Tweets should be promo from you.

Follow hashtags and get involved in Twitter chats.

And of course, follow others on Twitter.

Simple!


From the IWSG blog this month:

- The IWSG Annual Anthology Contest is Now Open

- 7 Tips for Writing Compelling YA

- Diversifying as an Author

- Rules, Guidelines, and Just Plain Bad Advice

  Administrators:   

 

FREE!

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group:
Guide to Publishing and Beyond

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Smashwords

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group:
Writing For Profit

Amazon / Barnes and Noble / Kobo


 







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